MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — During the pandemic, construction is deemed an essential business. But there are concerns about one site that remains open despite workers contracting COVID-19.
The Montgomery County School Department has confirmed three positive cases of COVID-19 at the Tilden Middle School renovation project in Rockville, Maryland. A school spokesperson told WUSA9 the developer disinfected the areas where the contractors worked and continued working.
However, people are still getting sick including Spahr Hank-Sisson’s fiance.
He was getting tested for COVID-19 Monday after developing symptoms over the weekend. “low-grade fever, a lot of fatigue and muscle aches,” she described.
Hank-Sisson is nervous — not only for her fiance but her three children, including 11-month old Evelyn who suffered from respiratory syncytial virus, which is a common, yet very contagious virus that effect the respiratory tract of young babies.
“Because of her history of RSV, she's considered high risk,” said Hank-Sisson. “So for him to be getting tested is terrifying.”
For the past year, her fiance has worked construction at the Tilden Middle School renovation project, which is set to be complete by Fall 2020. A school spokesperson confirmed three of his co-workers have recently tested positive for COVID-19.
According to the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services, six construction sites around the county have shut down because of positive cases, four — including Tilden Middle — have remained open "following CDC guidelines and contact tracing," read a DPS statement to WUSA9.
But Hank-Sisson said no one told her fiance he may have been in contact with a positive person. She thinks the site should have shut down to keep workers and their families healthy.
“I don't know how to explain to them that like we have to leave daddy alone,” she said, “if you're going to work, and you know that somebody there is sick, you're probably going to carry it even if you're asymptomatic and pass it on to the next person. That is not how anybody is going to get better. That's not how we're going to open back up.”
WUSA9 reached out to the developer but never heard back.
The school spokesperson said employees contacted about the positive cases are now in self-quarantine. He could not provide the number of people affected.