Health experts: Out-of-state utility workers pose risks

Droves of utility workers — most from hotspot COVID-19 states who are exempt from the governor’s quarantine requirements — have been eating at local restaurants and staying in Connecticut hotels over the past week, raising some concerns among health experts about the potential risk of spreading the virus.

Contractors from around the country have arrived in Connecticut in the wake of Tropical Storm Isaias to help restore power to the about 1 million customers who went dark during the storm.

Many of the workers have come from states Gov. Ned Lamont has deemed as high-risk for COVID-19, including Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, Maryland, Alabama, Mississippi, Wisconsin and Virginia.

But because of their vital role in restoring power, the workers are exempt from Lamont’s travel advisory, which urges a 14-day selfquarantine for anyone entering Connecticut from a state with a COVID-19 positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents.

The utility companies, however, say they have established COVID-19 procedures that include self-reporting potential symptoms and other pro

tocols intended to keep the workers and public safe.

“We have zero tolerance for sick workers reporting to work,” Eversource spokesman Mitch Gross said Tuesday. “If you are sick, stay home, and if you feel sick, go home.”

Gross said he did not know how many workers came from high-risk states. But he said every worker undergoes a self-certification process before each shift.

“Self-certification means prior to the start of every shift, onsite workers will verbally assure their supervisor that they don’t have any signs of a fever, have not had close contact with an individual diagnosed with COVID-19, and have not been asked to self-isolate or quarantine by their doctor or a local public health official,” Gross said.

The self-certification process, combined with the company’s COVID-19 pandemic plan, which went into effect in March and includes social distancing, mask requirements and increased sanitation, are intended to help prevent the spread of the virus, Gross said.

“It’s all about keeping our workers and customers safe,” he said. “And if you don’t feel well, stay home. That’s the rule.” According to a filing earlier this month with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which outlines the financial impact of COVID-19 on the company and its plans in response to the virus, Eversource reported a total of 50 employees had contracted the coronavirus as of Aug. 5. To that date, 772 employees had self-quarantined and 751 had returned to the workforce.

A spokesman for United Illuminating said all of its workers and contractors receive detailed training on hygiene, social distancing and the use of personal protective equipment before going out in the field. All UI employees working in the field or in an office must complete a mandatory wellness check and have their temperatures taken when reporting for work, the spokesman said.

The company is also monitoring all employees and contractors for symptoms in the next seven to 14 days and will conduct contact tracing as needed, the spokesman said.

But, with many workers coming from states deemed as high-risk, there is some inherent risk, according to at least one health expert.

Michael Urban, director of occupational therapy at the University of New Haven, said he considered risk of transmission on job sites low, but said there is some concern about the potential spread at places where the crews stay or gather when they’re not working.

"The fact that they were working in isolation — and I did see many from out of state with masks on — would tell me that they were taking precautions," Urban said. "The risk of any asymptotic transmission would be at the restaurants, lodging and other non-workplaces they visited."

With the influx of outof-state workers in the past week, hotels and other facilities are reporting high numbers of new lodgers. It’s been a needed boost to business for hoteliers and added stress during a time when safety is a major concern.

A spokesman for Western Connecticut State University said last week that as many as 106 beds would be reserved for out-of-state Eversource workers on the Danbury school’s Midtown campus.

And Tina Mazzullo, director of sales and marketing for the Stamford Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn, said utility crews would likely be staying at her downtown hotel through the end of the week.