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All construction work, except for essential ones, will be closed starting Friday night as part of the national effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Housing, Local Government and Heritage Minister Darragh O’Brien said the shutdown was “necessary” as part of broader measures aimed at halting the current trajectory of the virus.
Some 7,836 new cases of Covid-19 were reported Wednesday, the highest daily total since the start of the pandemic.
A very limited number of essential sites and a small number of designated social housing projects will be allowed to continue in eight weeks. The Cabinet also agreed that construction and works related to the daily operation of the water, wastewater and gas infrastructure remain essential.
Industry-related outbreaks account for 0.6 percent of all coronavirus clusters as of August.
An O’Brien spokeswoman said about 1,400 social housing units would be completed by the end of next month, but that the restrictions “of course” would have a negative impact on social housing goals.
Under the new restrictions announced on Wednesday, construction will close as of 6 pm on Friday, January 8, except for the construction or development of:
– essential and related health projects, including those relevant to prevent, limit, minimize or slow the spread of Covid-19
– A limited number of social housing projects, including vacant ones, designated as essential sites by local authorities based on established criteria (projects must be completed within the next six to eight weeks)
– aids for the adaptation of the home in which the owner agrees with the adaptations to be made in his home
– repair, maintenance and construction of critical transportation and utility infrastructure
– educational facility sites designated as essential by the Department of Education
– supply and provision of essential or emergency repair and maintenance services to businesses and places of residence (including electricity, gas, plumbing, glazing and roofing services) per emergency call
– certain large construction projects in the export / FDI sector based on established criteria.
In relation to private homes that are practically completed and scheduled to be inhabited by January 31, 2021, even where hookups and essential remediation works, such as pyrite works, are nearing completion, works must continue to allow homeowners access to their homes.
The installation of heating, water, broadband and electricity must also continue to allow the occupation of the houses.
Existing lease protections mean that a tenant cannot be evicted from their home during the 5K travel restrictions period.
The minister acknowledged that the closure of most construction sites will have an impact on housing delivery targets for 2021, but said his department will do “whatever it takes to reclaim as much ground as possible as they decline. The restrictions”.
He said the health and safety of 200,000 people who work directly and indirectly in construction is the top priority.
Only Ireland, Italy and the United States closed construction during previous closures, according to the Federation of the Construction Industry. Tom Parlon, its CEO, said it will take months to calculate the impact the decision to close job sites will have on the industry.
“The previous shutdown may have resulted in 5,000 fewer homes than expected in 2020,” it said in a statement.
Parlon said the industry has had an “excellent track record” in keeping Covid-19 off sites and managing it on sites. He said there was never a time in the past nine months where a site recorded more than 56 cases. The infection rate among construction workers has been considerably lower than in the general population, he added.
The organization advocates the reopening of the sector on January 31.
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