“Deluge” of firms contacting trade bodies for advice

Contractors have had to stop working on healthcare projects because of social distancing measures.

BuildUK chief executive Suzannah Nichol said that she was being inundated with questions from concerned firms including contractors that have been turned away from sites at health facilities.

She told Building: “Contractors can’t get to healthcare projects and they won’t let them in.”

Nichol said that healthcare staff at these sites would not let in builders because they were stopping “all non-essential work” as part of a strict social distancing policy.

One contractor told Nichols that the firm had been forced to suspend all operations at healthcare schemes for the next few weeks.

The contractor which has been operating for over 20 years, said: “There is no cash flowing, no work coming in.”

Nichols said that BuildUK was being “absolutely deluged” with questions from construction firms about how to cope with ever more stringent measures being announced by the government to combat the virus.

BuildUK is working with other trade bodies to offer advice and posting a daily briefing to members.

 
 
 

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