Mar 31, 2020 - Sports

Stadium building continues despite coronavirus construction bans

Belmont Park arena in Elmont, N.Y. Photo: John Keating/Newsday via Getty Images

With states across the country banning "non-essential" construction due to the coronavirus outbreak, some major stadium projects have been halted — but not all of them.

The state of play: All work has stopped at the the New York Islanders' Belmont Park arena, which was set to open in October 2021, but will now likely be delayed.

Austin: Construction on the Austin FC soccer stadium has come to a halt under the city's "shelter-in-place" order.

Still going:

Los Angeles: Despite a worker testing positive for the coronavirus, construction has continued at SoFi Stadium, the $5 billion future home of the NFL's Rams and Chargers.
Las Vegas: A worker at Allegiant Stadium (future home of the Raiders) has also tested positive, but work hasn't stopped there, either.
Seattle: Thanks to an exemption, construction resumed this week at KeyArena (future home of Seattle's new NHL team). Since the arena's original 44-million-pound roof is being held up by temporary beams while they prepare to reattach it, it qualifies as an "emergency repair."

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