Nearly all construction in Monterey County is ordered to halt.

As commerce in Monterey County came to a near standstill over the past few weeks, construction was one of the few industries to continue operating, with crews seen working on residential and commercial projects. 

But on April 3, the county issued a set of new restrictions to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus, further narrowing the definition of “essential” activity. The new shelter-in-place order says construction must not happen except for a few permissible cases. 

The new order allows construction on essential infrastructure, health care facilities, affordable housing and shelters. Work on existing structures is only allowed if it’s for the purposes of safety or sanitation. (The previous order included a broader exemption for all ongoing construction, but prohibited new projects.)

Construction of other public works projects are allowed only if the relevant government agency designates the project an essential government service. Moments after the new order was announced on Friday, Hartnell Community College District moved to designate at least of its construction projects as essential. 

The district’s governing board published an agenda for its April 7 meeting with a proposal for a related resolution. The agenda items reads, “Consider Adoption of Resolution No. 20:7, Specifically Designating Public Works Projects as Essential Government Functions.” No specific public works projects are listed. 

The section of Monterey County's new shelter-in-place order dealing with construction  is reproduced here: 

f. For the purposes of this Order, “Essential Businesses” are:

vi. Construction, but only of the types listed in this subparagraph below: 

1. Projects immediately necessary to the maintenance, operation or repair of essential infrastructure; 
2. Projects associated with healthcare operations, including creating or expanding healthcare operations; 
3. Affordable housing that is or will be at least partially income-restricted, including multi-unit or mixed-use developments; 
4. Public works projects if specifically designated as an essential governmental function by the lead governmental agency; 
5. Shelters and temporary housing, but not including hotels or motels; 
6. Projects immediately necessary to provide critical non-commercial services to individuals experiencing homelessness, elderly persons, persons who are economically disadvantaged, and persons with special needs; 
7. Construction necessary to ensure that existing construction sites that must be shut down under this order are left in a safe and secure manner, but only to the extent necessary to do so; and 
8. Construction or repair necessary to ensure that residences and buildings containing essential businesses are safe, sanitary, or habitable and operable, to the extent such construction or repair cannot reasonably be delayed.