DHS Includes Some Rental and Construction as Essential

The Department of Homeland Security has listed guidelines on what functions should be considered essential in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. These guidelines are meant to be advisory in nature and mention a wide range of customers of equipment rental companies and include the renting and leasing of vehicles and equipment that facilitate continuity of operations for essential workforces. The guidelines include a wide range of customers of equipment rental companies.

Here is a partial list:

·               Workers critical to rental and leasing of vehicles and equipment that facilitate continuity of operations for essential workforces and other essential travel.

·                Workers who support the operation, inspection, and maintenance of essential public works facilities and operations, including bridges, water and sewer main breaks, fleet maintenance personnel, construction of critical or strategic infrastructure, traffic signal maintenance, emergency location services for buried utilities, maintenance of digital systems infrastructure supporting public works operations, and other emergent issues.

·                Workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, builders, contractors, HVAC Technicians, landscapers, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences, businesses and buildings such as hospitals, senior living facilities, any temporary construction required to support COVID-19 response.

·                Workers who support, such as road and line clearing, to ensure the availability of and access to needed facilities, transportation, energy and communications.

·                Support to ensure the effective removal, storage, and disposal of residential and commercial solid waste and hazardous waste, including landfill operations.

·                Workers who support the operation, inspection, and maintenance of essential dams, locks and levees.

·                Workers who support the inspection and maintenance of aids to navigation, and other government provided services that ensure continued maritime commerce.

·                Workers who support the operation, inspection, and maintenance of essential public works facilities and operations, including bridges, water and sewer main breaks, fleet maintenance personnel, construction of critical or strategic infrastructure, traffic signal maintenance, emergency location services for buried utilities, maintenance of digital systems infrastructure supporting public works operations, and other emergent issues.

·                Workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, builders, contractors, HVAC Technicians, landscapers, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences, businesses and buildings such as hospitals, senior living facilities, any temporary construction required to support COVID-19 response.

·                Workers who support, such as road and line clearing, to ensure the availability of and access to needed facilities, transportation, energy and communications.

·                Support to ensure the effective removal, storage, and disposal of residential and commercial solid waste and hazardous waste, including landfill operations.

·                Workers who support the operation, inspection, and maintenance of essential dams, locks and levees.

·                Workers who support the inspection and maintenance of aids to navigation, and other government provided services that ensure continued maritime commerce.

·                Workers who support the operation, inspection, and maintenance of essential public works facilities and operations, including bridges, water and sewer main breaks, fleet maintenance personnel, construction of critical or strategic infrastructure, traffic signal maintenance, emergency location services for buried utilities, maintenance of digital systems infrastructure supporting public works operations, and other emergent issues.

·                Workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, builders, contractors, HVAC Technicians, landscapers, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences, businesses and buildings such as hospitals, senior living facilities, any temporary construction required to support COVID-19 response.

·                Workers who support, such as road and line clearing, to ensure the availability of and access to needed facilities, transportation, energy and communications.

·                Support to ensure the effective removal, storage, and disposal of residential and commercial solid waste and hazardous waste, including landfill operations.

·                Workers who support the operation, inspection, and maintenance of essential dams, locks and levees.

·                Workers who support the inspection and maintenance of aids to navigation, and other government provided services that ensure continued maritime commerce.

·                Engineers, technicians and associated personnel responsible for infrastructure construction and restoration, including contractors for construction and engineering of fiber optic cables, buried conduit, small cells, other wireless facilities, and other communications sector-related infrastructure. This includes construction of new facilities and deployment of new technology as these are required to address congestion or customer usage due to unprecedented use of remote services.

·                Installation, maintenance and repair technicians that establish, support or repair service as needed.

A complete list of the guidelines can be accessed at: https://www.cisa.gov/publication/guidance-essential-critical-infrastructure-workforce