The government is under growing pressure to ban non-essential construction work during the coronavirus crisis after more and more images have been circulated via social media of construction sites where workers are clearly not able to keep a safe distance, and of course packed tube carriages filled with workers commuting.
Government minister Michael Gove has said: “It is the case that construction should continue on sites. People should obviously exercise
sensitivity and common sense and follow social distancing measures. But
construction sites carried out in the open air can continue”.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has called on employers to be ‘sensible’ when deciding if to keep sites open, however former cabinet minister Sir Iain Duncan Smith has joined Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and London Mayor Sadiq Khan in demanding a rethink.
There are a growing number of construction sites being closed but others continue to operate often leaving workers under pressure from employers to go into work.
The National Federation of Builders has said builders could work on sites if they followed safety guidelines, although the Federation of Master Builders have said that work should only continue on emergency work.