We have assembled the following list of resources regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) for our members’ reference during this unprecedented time.

Please check back, as this list will be continually updated as new information and resources become available.

ABC National COVID-19 Resource Page     AGC National COVID-19 Resource Page

Updated CDC Guidelines

  1. Duration of isolation and precautions
    • For most persons with COVID-19 illness, isolation and precautions can generally be discontinued 10 days after symptom onset and resolution of fever for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medications, and with improvement of other symptoms.
    • For persons who never develop symptoms, isolation and other precautions can be discontinued 10 days after the date of their first positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 RNA.
  2. Role of PCR testing to discontinue isolation or precautions
    • For persons who are severely immunocompromised, a test-based strategy could be considered in consultation with infectious diseases experts.
    • For all others, a test-based strategy is no longer recommended except to discontinue isolation or precautions earlier than would occur under the strategy outlined in Part 1, above.
  3. Role of PCR testing after discontinuation of isolation or precautions
    • For persons previously diagnosed with symptomatic COVID-19 who remain asymptomatic after recovery, retesting is not recommended within 3 months after the date of symptom onset for the initial COVID-19 infection. In addition, quarantine is not recommended in the event of close contact with an infected person.
    • For persons who develop new symptoms consistent with COVID-19 during the 3 months after the date of initial symptom onset, if an alternative etiology cannot be identified by a provider, then the person may warrant retesting; consultation with infectious disease or infection control experts is recommended. Isolation may be considered during this evaluation based on consultation with an infection control expert, especially in the event symptoms develop within 14 days after close contact with an infected person.
    • For persons who never developed symptoms, the date of first positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 RNA should be used in place of the date of symptom onset.

VIEW UPDATED GUIDELINES     VIEW RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION

Gov. Abbott Issues Statewide Mask Mandate

On Thursday, July 2nd, Governor Abbott issued a statewide executive order mandating all individuals to wear a face covering when inside a commercial entity or space open to the public or when in an outdoor public space where social distancing is not feasible. This new order went into effect at 12:01PM on Friday, July 3rd. The face covering requirement does not apply in the following instances:

  • Any person younger than 10 years of age;
  • Any person with a medical condition or disability that prevents wearing a face covering;
  • Any person while the person is consuming food or drink, or is seated at a restaurant to eat or drink;
  • Any person while the person is (a) exercising outdoors or engaging in physical activity outdoors, and (b) maintaining a safe distance from other people not in the same household;
  • Any person while the person is driving alone or with passengers who are part of the same household as the driver;
  • Any person obtaining a service that requires temporary removal of the face covering for security surveillance, screening, or a need for specific access to the face, such as while visiting a bank or while obtaining a personal care service involving the face, but only to the extent necessary for the temporary removal;
  • Any person while the person is in a swimming pool, lake, or similar body of water;
  • Any person who is voting, assisting a voter, serving as a poll watcher, or actively administering an election, but wearing a face covering is strongly encouraged;
  • Any person who is actively providing or obtaining access to religious worship, but wearing a face covering is strongly encouraged;
  • Any person while the person is giving a speech for a broadcast or to an audience; or
  • Any person in a county (a) that meets the requisite criteria promulgated by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) regarding minimal cases of COVID-19, and (b) whose county judge has affirmatively opted-out of this face-covering requirement by filing with TDEM the required face-covering attestation form—provided, however, that wearing a face covering is highly recommended, and every county is strongly encouraged to follow these face-covering standards.

Not excepted from this requirement is any person attending a protest or demonstration involving more than 10 people and who is not practicing safe social distancing of six feet from other people not in the same household.

Individuals that do not comply with the new order will face a verbal or written warning for a first-time violation and then will face fine of up to $250 for a second violation and for each subsequent violation.

VIEW FULL ORDER

Latest Information on Paycheck Protection Program

Saturday, May 23, the Small Business Administration released an interim final rule covering the forgiveness process.

While much of the guidance reflects the PPP loan forgiveness application and instructions, there are some significant new items, including:

  • Any portion of the loan not forgiven will be eligible for payment over two years at 1%.  Some had worried that the SBA might ask for some or all of the funds back immediately, but the new guidance says nothing about that.
  • Clarification that the “paid” and “incurred” rules first disclosed in the PPP forgiveness application are intended to allow borrowers to include costs that were incurred over a period of more than 8 weeks.
  • Owner-employees are clearly a class distinct from Schedule C self-employed individuals and general partners, and appear to include C and S corporation shareholders.
  • Unlike the self-employed, owner-employees can count retirement plan expenses and health plan expenses in their payroll costs, but all of these items in total are limited to 8/52 of the lesser of the 2019 amounts incurred or $100,000.
  • Employers who wish to remove employees from the FTE calculation that they have offered to rehire at their same hours and salary/wage will have to report the employee’s refusal to return to work to the state unemployment agency in a form to be determined by the SBA.
  • A new set of safe harbors are put in place to protect borrowers from a reduction in FTE employees due to an employee’s actions, including when an employee is fired for cause, voluntarily resigns or voluntarily requests a reduction in hours.

Interim Final Rule on Loan Forgiveness

Interim Final Rule on SBA Loan Review Procedures and Related Borrower and Lender Responsibilities

Interim Final Rule on Second Extension of Limited Safe Harbor with Respect to Certification Concerning Need for PPP Loan and Lender Reporting

To view AGC of America’s analysis of the SBA’s recent interim final rules (IFRs) on PPP loan forgiveness, safe harbor and loan review process, please click below. AGC sought to present the information in these IFRs in what is hopefully a more accessible and organized manner than SBA provides. In addition, this includes any legislative or regulatory updates on specific areas of interest relating to these IFRs.

AGC of America IFR Analysis

COVID-19 Webinars

*NOTE: To access recordings of the ABC National webinars, you must have login credentials for ABC’s Academy for Construction Ethics, Compliance and Best Practices. To request credentials, a TEXO Member in a management position must fill out the Academy Login Request Form.

 

Upcoming Webinars

ABC National: New COVID-19 Paid Leave Issues for Employers as the Country Reopens
Date: Tuesday, August 4
Time: 2 p.m. CT
Speakers: Maury Baskin, Littler Mendelson P.C.
With the approach of the school year and controversy in many states about whether schools will reopen fully, partially or not at all, many construction industry employers are wondering how the different reopening plans will affect their obligations to workers, including paid and unpaid leave. Since April 1, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act has required COVID-related paid leave for private-sector employers with fewer than 500 employees, but a number of school reopening issues remain unclear. ABC General Counsel Maury Baskin will discuss the latest legal developments and practical choices confronting ABC members and chapter staff. Other topics will include remote working generally and the continuing controversies over shutdown/reopening orders in the construction industry.

Register Now

ABC National: COVID-19 in the Workplace — Recent Developments and Compliance Challenges
Date: Friday, August 7
Time: 10:30 a.m. CT
Speakers: Bruce J. Sarchet and Kayla K. Cox, Littler Mendelson, P.C.
It has become apparent that COVID-19 is going to dominate employment and labor law issues for the foreseeable future. To address evolving labor and employment law challenges, Littler has decided to host COVID-19 webinars on the first Friday of each month. The series is designed to keep business leaders, human resources professionals and in-house counsel current with the best thinking that Littler has to offer during the crisis.

Register Now

ABC National: Culture, Diversity and Innovation
Date: Tuesday, August 11
Time: 2 p.m. CT
Speakers: Tauhira Ali, Milwaukee Tool; Simeon Terry, Austin Commercial; Moderators: Matt Abeles and Tia Perry, ABC National
For mid-sized contractors, implementing new technology solutions in the office and on the jobsite can present serious challenges in terms of integration and practical adoption. How do our industry’s top performers get this right? Developing a company culture that values diversity and innovation is essential to embracing technology and recruiting the workforce of the future. Learn how the intersection of culture, diversity and innovation can help you mentor the next generation of leaders within your company to unlock better safety performance, operational efficiency and job satisfaction.

Register Now

ABC National: Six Months In, What Is the Trajectory of Construction’s Recovery from COVID-19?
Date: Wednesday, August 12
Time: 2 p.m. CT
Speaker: Anirban Basu, ABC Chief Economist; Moderator: Mike Bellaman, ABC National
As the United States begins to recover from its steepest economic downturn in history, the construction industry is faced with unprecedented levels of uncertainty. ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu will discuss how that uncertainty and broader macroeconomic conditions have affected the industry to date, the shape of the recovery to come, and what factors will determine the construction industry’s trajectory over the coming months, including a deep dive into the results of the August Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index.

Register Now

Recorded Webinars

ABC National: Paycheck Protection Program: Navigating the Latest Modifications

ABC National: Changes on the Horizon for Multifamily Housing Post-COVID-19

ABC National: Moving Projects Forward During COVID-19 With Collaboration Tools Like Procore and Zoom

ABC National: Proven Workforce Strategies to Protect Contractors During Ramp-up

Construction Executive: 2020 Mid-Year Construction Economic Forecast

ABC National: COVID-19: The Right Data to Collect From Your Workforce, and the Tools to Do It

ABC National: COVID-19 Best Practices From Chapter Safety Professionals

ABC National: Coaching Through a Crisis: Solving Employee Issues in Real Time

ABC National: COVID-19, Construction and Regional Economic Recovery: Where are we and where are we headed?

ABC National: Maximizing Your SBA PPP Loan Forgiveness and Preparing for the Future Audit

ABC National: Did You Pause Business Development Due to COVID-19? Here’s How to Restart.

ABC National: COVID-19 and Its Relationship to the 2020 Safety Performance Report’s Eight Leading Indicators

ABC National: The Impact of New ANSI Standards: What You Need to Know and Do…Now!

ABC National: Addressing Employee Mental Health During the Pandemic and Beyond

Precautions to Consider:

The TEXO Safety Committee met virtually to discuss the following best practices for our local DFW members to protect yourselves and your employees.

Please take the time to talk to your teams about good hygiene practices that can protect themselves and their loved ones. Universal precautions are vital to prevent the virus from spreading further!

TEXO COVID-19 Best Practices – English     TEXO COVID-19 Best Practices – Spanish

  • Stay home if ill!
  • Limit face to face meetings.
  • Limit non-essential training sessions or conduct by web or in open, outdoor areas.
  • Implement “social distancing” practices if you must gather.
  • Ramp up housekeeping/cleaning procedures, especially in common areas.
  • Ensure extra sanitation of PPE such as glasses, masks, etc.
  • Utilize Teladoc or other tele-health services if your company has this option as a part of benefits (consult prior to exposing others).
  • Ensure employees have access to hand washing stations and/or hand sanitizer near their work area.
  • Avoid sharing tools if possible or disinfecting as needed (the same applies to the office area).
  • Avoid sharing drinking containers.
  • Evaluate and disinfect areas where your employees take breaks and eat their meals.

Other Resources:

Virtual Safety Training Opportunities

Many members have reached out to us asking about free or reasonably priced online safety trainings (both general and coronavirus-related topics), so we have put together the following list of virtual training resources.

 

Free Resources:

TEXO Member Vendor Guide

Contractor Members: We’ve put together this handy guide to TEXO Specialty Contractor & Industry Members whose services may be particularly useful to your organizations during this period. Feel free to reach out to these vendors as needed, and be sure to mention that you’re a fellow TEXO member!

Specialty & Industry Members: If you do not see your company below and would like to be included in this list, please contact Emily Baker at emily@texoassociation.org with your contact information and relevant CSI codes.

TEXO Cares: Donations to Local Hospitals

During this time of crisis, few other industries are as essential as healthcare, and we can’t thank enough the hardworking doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and many more who are battling COVID-19 on the front lines. Click below to learn more about how we can support our local hospitals with PPE, monetary, and other donations:

Disclaimers:

Information Disclaimer:

The information that follows provides general information, is not customized to any particular facts, should not be relied upon or construed as legal advice, and is not a substitute for obtaining legal advice from an attorney licensed in the State of Texas. In no event will TEXO, or any contributor of information herein, including their related partnerships or affiliations or agents or employees thereof, be liable to any person or entity in any manner for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information presented herein or in connection with any discussion hereof. The information provided addresses issues that are rapidly evolving, and TEXO makes no representation that the information will remain current and applicable for any period of time. The reader should verify that the information provided has not be altered by more recent legal or governmental action.

Medical Disclaimer:

This information is provided as general guidance only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice as would be provided by a licensed physician or other healthcare professional. Any user of this information should consult a physician with any questions or concerns.