10% of all City of Pittsburgh employees are in quarantine, mayor says

PITTSBURGH — The mayor of Pittsburgh is asking residents and visitors for patience as 10% of the city workforce has been impacted by COVID-19.

“It’s important that the public does realize just like everything else, government is affected by this pandemic as well, and our ability to deliver service,” Mayor Bill Peduto said.

And because of a covid related shortage of manpower in environmental services just last week, the mayor temporarily reassigned a handful of public works employees—but he says there’s a trade-off.

“We transferred over ten laborers, out of public works into environmental services to pick up recycling, but you got to remember whenever we do that, that’s ten fewer people who are able to salt the streets,” Peduto said.

Right now, the mayor says approximately 330 of the city’s 3300 workers are off because of either testing positive for COVID-19 or having close contact.

If the number reaches the 40% threshold, the mayor said contingency plans are in place, including hiring private contractors and even asking the state for assistance.

“The second option I’ve asked public safety to look into is calling the governor for national guard if needed,” Peduto said.

The mayor said the city continues to provide hotels for employees who have been impacted by covid, so they don’t take it home, and he says offices are cleaned regularly.

All city employees are required to wear masks, socially distance and complete daily health screening. And as the country anxiously waits for a vaccine, the mayor is worried about the next couple of months.

“It’s going to get worse before it gets better that we should expect increasing number of cases in December and into January,” Peduto said.

The mayor said he’s confident the city will be able to handle the ten% reduction. But he says if more employees go out, city services will be impacted.

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Cox Media Group