Three more SoFi Stadium construction workers test positive for COVID-19
Three more construction workers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood have tested positive for COVID-19, according to internal emails sent to trade partners last week by the joint venture overseeing the project.
Eight workers at the $5 billion development are known to have tested positive since late March.
The emails, sent by Turner-AECOM Hunt and reviewed by The Times, said the three most recent cases last worked on site May 22. One person worked on Levels 1, 4 and 6 of the stadium, the second worked at the “champagne bar†on Level 2 and the third worked in telecom rooms.
The emails used identical language to describe the three workers: “First and most importantly, the worker is doing well with minor symptoms, and is at home under self-quarantine.†They also noted each worker wore personal protective equipment — nose and mouth coverings are required on site — and all equipment, tools and facilities used by the workers have been disinfected.
Three additional workers have been directed to self-quarantine until Friday because they were in “close contact†with the worker on Level 2. The emails said the project “remains open to work without restriction,†using similar wording as past notifications about positive tests.
Construction managers previously instituted a series of safety measures for the project in response to the pandemic, including mandatory temperature checks for everyone entering the 298-acre site, requiring workers to stay at least six feet from each other, increasing the number of hand-washing stations and toilets and telling workers to stay home if they’re feeling ill and not return until they’ve been asymptomatic for 72 hours.
The main concern of black people right now isn’t whether they’re standing three or six feet apart, but whether their sons, husbands, brothers and fathers will be murdered by cops.
“Given the current situation we are facing, if you have fever, cough or difficulty breathing, you should think and act as you would if you tested positive for COVID-19,†the emails said.
Work has continued on the stadium through the pandemic because Gov. Gavin Newsom labeled construction “critical infrastructure.†The venue had been scheduled to open with Taylor Swift concerts July 25 and 26. But the events were postponed along with concerts by Kenny Chesney, Guns N’ Roses and Tim McGraw planned for August and September.
The last concert on the stadium’s public schedule this year — Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard on Sept. 5 — was postponed Monday to 2021.
The first event at the stadium is slated to be the preseason game between the Rams and New Orleans Saints on Aug. 14. Rams owner Stan Kroenke is financing the stadium, attached performance venue and surrounding mixed-used development.
The Chargers host the Dallas Cowboys there two days later. It’s unclear when the state’s stay-at-home order will be relaxed enough to allow spectators to attend events.
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