COVID-19: UK construction sites to 'open on evenings and weekends'
Ministers in the United Kingdom are planning to change the law, overriding current restrictions to kickstart the country’s economy following coronavirus lockdown.
The coronavirus pandemic has begun to have a considerable impact on the UK’s economy thanks to industries such as construction and manufacturing slowing or, in many cases, completely halting operations. Countless construction sites across Britain have closed temporarily to help slow the spread of COVID-19, despite there not being a legal requirement to completely close sites.
In the UK, a law is currently in place which protects Construction sites’ local environment from potential noise pollution between the hours of 6pm and 8am Monday to Friday, and Saturdays between 1pm and 8am. Noisy work carried out on such sites any time on a Sunday or bank holiday is illegal in the country.
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These laws are set to temporarily change as part of the first stages of re-opening the nation’s economy whilst attempting to prevent small building firms from being struck hard, in addition to giving companies time to “catch up” on work as their staff begin to return to site post-lockdown.
Other countries across Europe have also started announcing similar measures to restart the construction industry. In Italy, public construction projects are able to begin today. Furthermore, Spain announced around a fortnight ago that employees in manufacturing, construction, and some services were also able to return to work but must adhere to strict coronavirus guidelines and social distancing measures.
It is expected that the construction industry across the UK, Europe and beyond will feel the pinch for a number of months and potentially even longer for some firms as lockdowns across numerous countries continue at full effect, with only some countries now gradually starting to reduce some of the measures and policies put in place.
Take a look at Google’s COVID-19 Information & Resources page for the latest information on the disease in your nation.
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