For much of America we are currently into week 7 of some type of self-quarantine or mandated stay at home orders. Unless you own or work for a company that has been deemed an essential business you have probably been sheltering in place. Health care services, grocery stores and gas stations as most of us know make the cut as an essential service but what a lot of people don’t realize is that many businesses within the construction industry are still considered essential as well.
Of course, different states have had varying standards on what they constitute to be essential businesses. Many states such as New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington have either mostly or completely shut down construction projects, while other states have put an array of restrictions, new guidelines and standards on building practices. However, service-related businesses such as HVAC are actually still in very high demand and are considered essential.
While the Coronavirus or Covid-19 is and has been a rapidly evolving situation the need for services provided by HVAC contractors has diminished very little, in fact, with the majority of the country staying at home and working from the home more than ever before, some regions of the country have seen an increased demand for these services in recent weeks.
But is it safe to have work done?
Even before the coronavirus hit, high quality service contractors typically made it mandatory that their technicians and service people caused little or no disturbance to their clients and kept their clients’ homes clean and tidy. By wearing protective gear such as booties, gloves, and using drop cloths and sometimes even dust barrier systems, the service people left no trace or impact on the home they had been working on. Now is no different other than these efforts have simply increased. With the use of face masks and implementation of disinfectants these service providers are doing everything they can to prevent any possible spread of Covid-19.
Another step that many of these businesses have taken is to create social distancing in their very own office. Many companies have asked front office staff to work from home if possible and have turned to using telephone answering services to provide additional phone support for the office. In some incidences this has been a lifeline for small companies just trying to stay open for business. It is important to know that your local HVAC company is still very much open for business and that their technicians are taking every precaution to keep both themselves and your home and family safe and virus free. So if, while you and your family are sheltering in place and the heater goes out, you have a plumbing leak or the breaker for the oven goes bad; use your own discretion and do what feels safe but know that you can call your local service contractor and they will still come out to take care of you. Even though this coronavirus crisis has caused a great deal of chaos and grief for many we just need to keep in mind that this will pass. We will get through this together and there are a lot of businesses out there still running in order to keep our daily lives as normal as possible through difficult times.
