Duquesne Light pulls workers from Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show exhibit over coronavirus fears

Duquesne Light, the title sponsor of the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show, is pulling its employees from the event to limit potential exposure to the coronavirus.

“We support the decisions of city officials to cancel large events and believe this is the best course of action for us to ensure we’re doing everything possible to keep our employees healthy amidst concerns surrounding covid-19,” Duquesne Light spokeswoman Hollie Geitner said in a statement Thursday.

Show attendees at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh will be greeted by a sign that explains the decision at Duquesne Light’s Electric Lane display, Geitner said.

“We appreciate your understanding and hope to see you back here in Electric Lane next year,” the sign reads.

“It’s completely understandable,” John DeSantis, executive director of the show, said shortly after Duquesne Light announced the move. He echoed statements from Duquesne Light that the company provides a critical service in the region and the health of its employees is paramount.

According to DeSantis, “Duquesne Light is the only exhibitor at the show planning on anything like this.”

Volunteer employees traditionally staff the company’s display at the show. DeSantis said these workers include lineman and other workers who help keep the region’s critical infrastructure working.

“They’ve been a great partner with us for more than 20 years as title sponsor,” DeSantis said. “We certainly wouldn’t question their decision.”

There’s a “distinct difference” between large gatherings like the crowd that would have gathered Downtown for the now-canceled St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the Home & Garden Show, where thousands of people are scattered across several acres of indoor space, DeSantis said.

Nonetheless, Allegheny Health Network pulled its employees from the event on Friday.

“Out of an abundance of caution and in the spirit of promoting the health and safety of our employees, we transformed our Home and Garden Show exhibit to be self-service for attendees and discontinued Highmark/AHN volunteers at the event,” spokesman Dan Laurent said in an email.

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that people with respiratory symptoms refrain from attending mass gatherings or large community events. Symptoms of covid-19, the illness caused by coronavirus, include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Health experts have discouraged the elderly or people of fail health from attending large gatherings.

Show officials and those with the convention center are using best practice guidelines recommended by the Allegheny County Health Department and CDC, DeSantis said.

“We’ve been monitoring the situation,” DeSantis said.