New Raiders stadium records 7 cases of COVID-19 on construction site
As part of its draft festivities last week, the NFL celebrated the arrival of the Raiders to Las Vegas and their new jet-black palace Allegiant Stadium.
The frame of the stadium that sits adjacent to the Las Vegas strip is complete and stands as a beacon to football fans thrilled about the arrival of the NFL.
But there’s still construction work being done. And it’s taking place as workers test positive for COVID-19. Allegiant Stadium builders Mortenson/McCarthy announced on Tuesday that four new cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed among construction workers, bringing the total number of cases at the site to seven.
From the statement provided to 8 News Now in Las Vegas:
Since the onset of COVID-19, more than 4,000 craft workers and various trade partners and vendors have been on site and the project has experienced a total of 7 confirmed positive cases to date.
All cases were limited in contact with others on site pursuant to strict social distancing protocols in place. We continue to collaborate with local labor groups and take immediate precautions to minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission.
Construction continues as business is shuttered
Work continues on the site despite Las Vegas hotels and casinos being closed as non-essential businesses, virtually grinding the global gambling and entertainment destination to a halt.
Coronavirus at new L.A. Stadium too
It’s a similar situation in Inglewood, where construction on SoFi Stadium continues in anticipation of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers moving in this fall. Like in Las Vegas, COVID-19 has struck the Inglewood construction site, with two confirmed cases among the project’s 3,000 workers as of early April. Also like Las Vegas, the project moves forward despite non-essential businesses being barred statewide in California.
Mortenson/McCarthy acknowledged in their statement on Tuesday that safety protocols like face masks weren’t implemented at the Las Vegas site until April 20. The project is now moving some of its work to night shifts in order to reduce congestion of workers on the site.
“Starting the week of April 20, additional health and safety measures were added on the project,” the statement reads. “Face coverings are now required for all workers and site visitors; we have implemented an on-site permit process for project partners that details additional controls and safeguards for work completed on site; we have increased monitoring to further ensure compliance amongst all workers and we have also shifted certain work activities to a night shift in an effort to reduce congestion within certain areas of the project.”
If the NFL season starts on time, it will open with its first Sunday slate of games on Sept. 13. Having these stadiums ready for kickoff appears to be taking top priority.
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