Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced April 24 that construction projects in the state will be allowed to resume May 1, one week earlier than his administration had previously announced.

The governor’s announcement came with strict guidelines on how construction work can be conducted safely to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19.

Some aspects of this guidance differ depending on the conditions of the project, but all construction workers will be required to wear face masks and maintain proper social distancing as much as possible and will be provided with a hand-washing station on every job.

Businesses will also be required to identify a pandemic safety officer for each project or work site.

For residential construction projects, where workers would be confined to an indoor space, no more than four workers will be permitted on the site at a time. This excludes anyone who just needs temporary access or is not part of the main crew.

Wolf’s announcement continued, “Contractors performing work at the direction of the commonwealth, municipalities or school districts should defer to those public entities to determine what projects may continue.”

The state also explained municipalities may implement stricter guidelines, with which construction companies will be obliged to comply.

This all comes as good news for Whitehall Township, which had a number of notable construction projects underway and set to begin this year.

As previously reported, Whitehall Township’s new emergency services building began construction in early March, but the project was forced to halt after the governor initially shut down nonessential work in the state.

In commercial real estate, the shutdown also halted work on a Dave & Buster’s arcade and sports bar at the Lehigh Valley Mall, which was reportedly nearing completion as of March.

Just down MacArthur Road, land was being cleared on Eberhart Road for a new Harley Davidson dealership, which was set to open some time in fall 2020.

At this point, it’s unclear how severely this shutdown will impact the completion of these projects, but Whitehall Township Mayor Michael Harakal Jr. said everyone is just happy the projects are being allowed to continue.

“Everyone’s on board to get back to work,” he said, regarding the emergency services building project.

Construction projects in Whitehall Township will, of course, be following the guidelines laid out by Wolf, Harakal said.

“We want all people on the site to be healthy and safe,” he said.

While the township is happy to see some work is being allowed to continue, some damage has already been done economically. The shutdown has cost Whitehall a significant amount of revenue, Harakal explained, and that will be reflected in next year’s budget.