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NECA Coronavirus Resource Center

Background

Coronavirus

Chinese health authorities identified a new (or novel) coronavirus (officially called COVID‐19) on December 31, 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a “public health emergency of international concern” as the coronavirus outbreak spread beyond China. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the first human‐to‐human transmission of the coronavirus had occurred on January 30, 2020. On January 31, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared a public health emergency and announced restrictions on travel between the U.S. and China. On February 2, 2020, the U.S. Department of State issued its travel advisory telling U.S. citizens not to travel to China. Airlines around the world have canceled flights to and from China.

Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU)

In an effort to provide you with the most up-to-date information, the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU)  developed the COVID-19 Global Case Tracker. Johns Hopkins experts in global public health, infectious disease, and emergency preparedness have been at the forefront of the international response to COVID-19. Their website is a resource to help advance the understanding of the virus, inform the public, and brief policymakers in order to guide a response, improve care, and save lives.

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

NECA Resources

This webpage was designed to provide information about the evolving coronavirus outbreak first identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. The information we have provided includes links to interim guidance and other resources for preventing exposures to, and infection with, the novel coronavirus.

As the situation is emerging and continually evolving, and our staff is monitoring the situation.

NECA has collected numerous materials from a wide variety of sources to provide our contractors, chapters, and many partners with the most comprehensive information available. We will continue to monitor the situation and update the information on this page.

Special Edition Family Medical Care Plan (FMCP) Coronavirus Update

National Disease Emergency Response Agreement (NDERA)

As a result of ongoing discussions and to address the recently declared National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak, NECA and the IBEW have reached agreement for a national agreement to address the COVID-19 pandemic (or similar diseases) and potential emergency situations created by it.  The linked “National Disease Emergency Response Agreement (NDERA)” has been reviewed and approved unanimously by the NECA Executive Committee and was made available for use effective March 16, 2020.  

This threat is ongoing and must be continually monitored by the Parties who agree to discuss any new legislation or regulation related to the coronavirus or similar disease that may impact this Agreement. The Parties may mutually terminate this Agreement immediately, and either party may unilaterally terminate this Agreement by providing at least a 90-day written notification to the other party. 

This agreement will be put forward to the Board of Governors for ratification at a later date.

Read the Full Agreement

Information for Employers



Federal Government

President Trump and members of the Coronavirus Task Force briefed the public on the extensive efforts underway to continue effectively combatting coronavirus. The Administration is taking aggressive and proactive measures, working closely with state and local partners to protect public health.

The Administration believes the threat to the American people remains very low. The following information and guidance were developed from key agencies across the federal government:

Congress Enacts Families First Coronavirus Response Act
Phase II of Coronavirus Response Package

After a week of serious negotiations, the Senate passed legislation, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R.6201), also known as Phase II. We are pleased to report that NECA was able to work with Members of Congress to address many of the concerns related to paid sick leave and paid family leave. NECA was able to secure key changes in the legislation to restrict the economic impact of the Coronavirus on many of our contractors.

Learn More

State Government

NECA has partnered with Stateside Associates to create a chart with state legislative actions, executive agency actions, and gubernatorial actions related to the outbreak of the coronavirus. We will be continuously monitoring the state responses as they develop. Updates are continuously being made to this report.

Click to view the recent version

CDC/WHO Information

According to the CDC, the potential public health threat posed by COVID‐19 is very high, both globally and to the U.S. But the risk to individuals is dependent on exposure. For the general American public, there is little risk of exposure. Therefore, the immediate health risk from COVID‐19 is still considered low.

Preliminary reports seem to indicate that the severity of the coronavirus COVID‐19 may be lesser than that of other coronaviruses such as SARS. However, instances of the disease are still being analyzed. As is to be expected, the severity is worse for older individuals and those with compromised health. Exposure risk may be elevated for some workers who interact with potentially infected travelers from abroad, including those involved in:

  • Healthcare 
  • Deathcare
  • Laboratories
  • Airline operations 
  • Border protection 
  • Solid waste and wastewater management 
  • Travel to areas, including parts of China, where the virus is spreading

Centers for Disease Control

World Health Organization

National Safety Council

Impact on Supply Chains

stock-coronavirus

The region of China most heavily affected by the outbreak is a hub of global supply chains. It is estimated that product imports from China account for nearly 30% of all U.S. building product imports, making China the largest single supplier to the U.S. A new Dun & Bradstreet study estimates that 163 of the Fortune 1000 have tier 1 suppliers—those they do direct business with—in the area. And 938 have tier 2 suppliers, which feed the first tier.


 

 

While there is concern now, the great unknown is how long the situation in China could last. Some manufacturers and their suppliers have more options than others. Larger firms are going to have more resources to identify and mitigate risk, while smaller firms may run with less inventory and rely more on components, ingredients, and products arriving only when needed. The good news is feedback from various industry collaborators do not indicate that there are serious supply chain disruptions.


 

It is recommended that NECA contractors should look at critical supplies, particularly those with a long lead time, and look at where they are sourced.

Firms should start to work with all parties to identify vulnerabilities on end-to-end in the supply chain. Owners, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers should all talk transparently and make accommodations in these extraordinary circumstances.


 

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