Construction workers in Travis County, Texas, have emerged as a top group among people infected by the coronavirus, along with health care and grocery store employees who have worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, reports the Austin American-Statesman.
Though precise numbers were not available for how many people in those industries have been infected, interim Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott told Austin City Council members that health officials have seen numerous clusters of cases involving such workers. They are preparing to track the occupations of those who test positive to see which industries are hardest hit as more businesses reopen.
“We have seen a significant number of construction workers as well as family members of construction workers who are in that positive group right now,” Escott says. “It certainly seems to be at least one of the dominant industries.”
A concentration of cases among construction workers, who were among some of the first employees exempted from state orders requiring all but nonessential businesses to shut down in March, could bode ill for thousands in other industries who returned to work in public-facing jobs this week, including in restaurants and retail shops.
“The people who are getting sick right now are generally people who are working right now,” Escott says. “That risk is going to increase the more people who are working.”
Like nursing homes and long-term care facilities, which also have emerged as hot spots for the coronavirus, Escott added that local health officials are developing targeted testing for construction sites and plans to offer testing in other industries where clusters of infections begin to take off.