GREENSBORO, N.C. — Linemen are on the front lines not just after storms but throughout the stay at home orders.
"A lot of times you don't see what we're doing until the power's out," said Guilford County resident John Loftis who foreman's a six-man crew of electrical linemen out of Danville.
Utility crews surveyed and fixed damaged lines across the Triad Monday but Loftis said their work is going on all the time.
Linemen are considered essential workers. His wife Lisa Loftis said it's stressful for their families under normal circumstances.
"Electricity is very dangerous," said Lisa Loftis, "My husband's out there risking his life to get y'all on and I'm still sitting in the dark."
Now crews like his are making changes for the coronavirus like the rest of us. Loftis said his crew must maintain six feet of separation.
"That gets a little bit aggravating, especially when you're setting a pole because you're supposed to have two people at the end of the pole," said John Loftis.
He said that makes it more important that you give working linemen space.
"People are curious by nature anyway and they come up and want to know how much longer is it going to be. Try to refrain from that as much as possible," said Loftis.
He said it's not just for the health of his crew and their families. It's for you.
He said if a lineman on his crew gets sick, they are out of work until a doctor clears them.
He said losing even one lineman can make it harder for the rest of the crew to do their jobs, which could mean it takes longer for your lights to come back on.
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