A local Las Vegas sports anchor broke news today of the positive tests but sources tell us it will not impact continued construction of the Las Vegas Raiders new $1.9 billion stadium.
An Allegiant Stadium worker’s COVID-19 test came back positive as first reporter by Las Vegas sports anchor Vince Sapienza of Fox 5 News via Twitter.
According to multiple sources with daily knowledge of the project’s progression, the worker who tested positive worked just two days on the site and had very limited interaction with others and was not a daily presence there.
In a statement released by construction company Mortenson/McCarthy, the firm said the worker was identified and precautions taken to protect everyone on the site.
Per CDC guidelines, and as a result of the implementation of social distancing protocols, the worker was not in close contact with any other project worker and has been offsite since last week. – Mortenson/McCarthy statement.
“Mortenson/McCarthy was notified today that a worker on the Allegiant Stadium project tested positive for COVID-19,” the statement says. “Per CDC guidelines, and as a result of the implementation of social distancing protocols, the worker was not in close contact with any other project worker and has been offsite since last week.”
The worker, the statement went on to say, is now in self-isolation and will not return to the site until cleared to do so.
The company also said it has “implemented stringent cleaning protocols on the project consistent with CDC guidelines.” It also stated the area in which the worker was stationed was shut down and sanitized.
Governor Steve Sisolak ordered all non-essentials businesses in Nevada closed as of March 13 but the Allegiant Stadium site, Resorts World, the MSG Sphere and numerous other major transportation projects, were deemed essential and work was allowed to continue. A worked on the Resorts World site also tested positive but work there forges on as well.
With the virus still a major concern around the world, additional precautions – including social distancing for works on the site – have been instituted since the pandemic’s stranglehold on the local economy. Allegiant Stadium is slated to be substantially completed by July 31, 2020 and many thought the pandemic would threaten that timeline.