The COVID-19 Era: Resources and Information for Roofing Contractors

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an atmosphere of anxiety and fear in many people. It’s changed the way many people are doing business, it’s caused events to be canceled and schools to be closed, and many states have issued shelter-in-place orders. We wanted to provide information and resources for roofing contractors about COVID-19. 

Are roofing contractors exempt from shelter-in-place orders?

As of today, April 7th, 41 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico have issued shelter-at-home orders, shutting down everything except for “essential businesses.” So what is considered an essential business?

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which is a branch of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a set of guidelines to help governments ensure that employees who are “essential to operations of critical infrastructure” are able to continue to work. While the construction industry doesn’t specifically make the list of “essential” industries allowed to continue, when you look at the list of essential businesses, construction is clearly a part of many of them. 

The orders are also slightly different depending on where you are. To check the specific status of your location, visit this page, Can I Do Construction Work In My State?

How can I stay up to date on the status of the pandemic?

Regular updates are provided by The Centers for Disease Control on the number of cases of COVID-19, how to prevent contracting the virus, what to do if you are sick, etc.

What are the safety guidelines for workers?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration provides safety information for both employers and workers and COVID-19 guidance. 

Where can I learn about the financial help available to small businesses?

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was recently passed, providing relief to both businesses and employees. NPR recently broke down the relief bill. 

The National Roofing Contractors Association recently provided extensive resources for roofers as well.

In addition to the information we have provided, we also wanted to let you know that at AMSI–while we are doing everything we can to ensure safety for our employees–we are still fully operational. You can rely on us for equipment and supplies that are needed for metal roofing. 

This is a difficult time for everyone. If we all do our part to be as informed as possible and to remain as safe as possible, we know we can get through this together.