Coronavirus: sites stay open but industry needs very clear guidance

Construction sites are attempting to stay open today amid the latest coronavirus advice to reduce social contact, non-essential travel, and work from home where possible, writes the CN news team. There have not yet been reports of widespread site shutdowns, though it is widely feared these are inevitable. Many firms have sent office staff to work from home amid calls for clarity from government on the restrictions being imposed and on financial measures available to support those hit. A regional construction director at a major contractor, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “We’ve had people calling in to self-isolate and there’s a knock-on effect. The government is not taking construction into consideration as they aren’t with lots of industries. How are people supposed to take their work home? Who decides what is essential and what is non-essential? Some of the big contractors are taking a blanket view, but what about the knock-on effect? The man on the ground still needs to punch in for eight hours to get paid.