On July 8, 2021, the New York City Department of Buildings issued Building Bulletin 2021-009 rescinding DOB’s Phase 1 Reopening Guidance and Building Bulletins 2020-006, 2020-010, 2020-015 and 2021-008. A copy of the BB 2021-009 may be found at the following link:  https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/bldgs_bulletins/bb_2021-009.pdf.

Each of these Building Bulletins and the Reopening Guidance dealt with procedures and guidelines for reopening of projects and sites during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the exception of BB 2020-015 and 2021-008,which dealt with temporary dormitory use in hotels and determining the number of occupants for reopening of restaurants and establishments in New York City.

Although the prior guidance for construction sites, which included safety protocols, such as masks, distancing, hygiene, safety monitors and the like, has been rescinded, owners, contractors and construction managers may seek to maintain such protocols, especially as new COVID-19 variants emerge, and articles abound suggesting waning vaccination effectiveness, and the possible need for booster vaccinations.