Rapidly changing events driven by the coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic challenged the asphalt pavement industry in California By Russell W. Snyder, CAE
There’s nothing in the construction playbook about pandemics. No matter. When the coronavirus/ COVID-19 public health emergency swept across California this Spring, the asphalt pavement industry, and the association representing it, sprang into action to help keep the state’s vital transportation infrastructure operational and safe, and extending a helping hand to those in need. By June 1, with more than 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California, and 4,000 deaths, the state struggled to emerge from under a series of public health “stay at home” orders put in place to slow the spread of the virus, which that shocked the economy, disrupted lives and sent waves of anxiety sweeping across the Golden State. “By no stretch of the imagination is this virus behind us,” Gov. Gavin Newsom warned recently. “We’re moving forward. We’re not looking back. But we are walking into the unknown.” Indeed, the unknown is a recurrent theme of this pandemic, the effects of which could be felt for years. The coronavirus is invisible and highly contagious. The potentially deadly COVID-19 disease that results in some who contract it, coupled few treatment options and no known cure, brought the possibility that hospitals could be overwhelmed with the sick and dying. Dec. 31, 2019
June 1, 2020
Dec. 31, 2019 The government in Wuhan, China confirmed that health authorities were treating dozens of people for illnesses of unknown origin. Days later, according to media reports, researchers identified it as a new virus. At the time, there was no evidence that the virus was readily spread by humans. Jan. 11, 2020 The Chinese state media report the first known death from an illness connected to the virus. Jan. 21, 2020 The first confirmed case is reported in Washington state. The man had recently traveled to Wuhan, China. Jan. 30, 2020 The World Health Organization declares a “public health emergency of international concern.”
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For an industry with a “can-do” ethos, the pandemic was a new challenge to be overcome, a test of character, and pushing the limits of our ability to adapt, and adapt quickly. It turned conventions and routines on their head. What emerged from the chaos, fear and confusion was a new way of thinking about workers, jobs and communities, and how we’re all interconnected. From the beginning, the state’s vital infrastructure, long taken for granted, was pushed to the forefront of the public’s consciousness. With millions of Californians staying at home, how would they continue to access essential services? Supply chains were deconstructed and reconstructed to accommodate the new reality. And asphalt pavements, which cover about 95 percent of roads and highways connecting every corner of America’s most populous state, came to represent the lifelines upon which first-responders, shipping companies, delivery services and other essential activities that kept the state functioning in a crisis. Because events moved so rapidly, keeping up, and responding, became a daily and even sometimes hourly challenge. What follows are some key events along California’s pandemic journey, overlaid at times with national and international events to provide a sense of context. The pandemic blurred time, which is why a timeline is perhaps the best way to take our measure of what 2020 has meant to us so far. CA
Jan. 31, 2020 The Trump administration announces the first travel restrictions, with exceptions, for those seeking entry to the United States if they have traveled to China within the past 14 days. The State Asphalt Pavement Association meets in Maui, Hawaii in conjunction with the National Asphalt Pavement Association annual meeting the following week. At least one attendee reports flu-like symptoms and does not attend a group function. Feb. 6, 2020 One of the first reported deaths in California from the coronavirus occurred in Santa Clara County, health officials would later report, although they acknowledged that other deaths may have happened earlier but went undiagnosed. Feb. 11, 2020 The respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus is named “COVID-19” by the World Health Organization.
California Asphalt Magazine • 2020 Pavement Preservation Issue
