On a typical Earth Day, the construction industry is usually called out equally for its role as both a sustainability leader and as a leading offender when it comes to the size of its carbon footprint.

It’s Day 17 of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and things have gone from really bad to really, really, terribly, horribly worse. Since the World Health Organization (WHO) proclaimed the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, the total number of cases worldwide has skyrocketed from 126,214 (4,628 deaths) to 530,000+ (24,000+ deaths). In the U.S., that number of cases since March 11 has jumped from 1,301 cases (38 deaths) to over 85,000 reported cases and more than 1,300 dead.

Long viewed as a male-dominated field, the construction industry has slowly been adding more and more women to their offices and jobsites as they fill roles as varied as construction technologists to painters.

It is no news that the global economy has been a bit shaky for years now, then the pandemic struck and everything went spiraling downward. Statistics show that unemployment was at 14.7% in April 2020, the highest rate in America since the Great Depression, and gross domestic product fell by 4.8%.

While the construction industry has weathered the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic better than others like retail and hospitality, it hasn’t been all kittens and rainbows either. From February through April, the construction industry lost over a million jobs. To put that in perspective, during the Great Recession the industry lost about 2.3 million jobs. Through June, the industry has managed to gain back over 600,000 jobs.

The construction industry can be volatile and unpredictable at the best of times. With the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe, construction work is taking a hard hit. Projects are getting delayed and even canceled as regions open and close to try to slow the virus's spread.

Ever since it struck at the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 has altered our lives. It has wrecked the economy, shoved millions of people out of a job, and locked us inside our homes.

Businesses across the country and around the globe must close their doors to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Anything not considered essential is closed, and that includes many construction sites and projects.

For any sector that isn't considered essential right now, work is hard to come by. The construction industry has been a mixed bag across states and localities, with some projects continuing and others on pause. While work may be scarce, many supervisors and business owners are looking for ways to keep their teams active and engaged. They're also trying to find methods to keep their employees working when everyone is supposed to be staying home and maintaining six feet of distance in public.

As each new day brings a new state and federal guideline urging companies and employees to work remotely, the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is changing how many construction pros work daily. No doubt, the concept of “social distancing” may prove difficult to swallow in an industry built around person-to-person, one-on-one interactions—from directing crews in the field to huddling around plans in the office.