Custodians Among Essential Workers Remaining On-Site

As office staff, teachers, and other employees work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, several groups of essential workers continue commuting and reporting in person for their daily duties. Custodians and facility managers are among the group of essential workers, as evidenced in a list released by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Albany Business Review reports.

Cuomo has ordered most New York businesses to operate with no more than 25% of employees on-site. Earlier in the week, the governor had set the on-site employee rate at 50%, suggesting that employees telecommute or work in shifts to stop the spread of the coronavirus. But after New York coronavirus cases rose to more than 4,000 on Thursday, he cut his previous employee on-site rate in half.

A tentative list of essential workers includes vendors of essential services necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation and essential operations of residences or other essential businesses, such as janitorial firms. Other workers the governor deemed necessary on-site include trash collection and construction services as well as manufacturing workers.