Nayrouz News Agency : Work on six major construction projects resumed on Tuesday in the Kingdom under strict health security measures in light of the COVID-19 virus crisis, amid calls to allow other relevant sectors to start manpowering up again.

"Work resumed today on six major construction projects, including the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and the desert road,” said President of the Contracting Association (PCA) Ahmad Yacoubi.

The PCA president told The Jordan Times that "the projects that were resumed Tuesday are considered strategic and do not utilise many workers since most of the projects depend on heavy machinery”.

"The cycle of work started slowly and cautiously while taking into consideration strict health regulations and safety measures,” Yacoubi said.

The government announced a curfew on March 21 in an effort to contain the spread of the virus and ordered the closure of certain businesses.

Yacoubi added that the PCA reached an agreement with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) to organise "online training sessions for construction employees on the hazards of the COVID-19 and means to adhere to health security measures that would protect them during work”.

"We also hope that the Ministry of Health would operate moving clinics in the major construction sites that would do random health checks on the labourer’s to make sure they do not carry the coronavirus,” Yacoubi added.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Housing Development Association (HDA) Kamal Awamleh called on the government to allow construction sites to work with limited workforces.

"We call on the government to allow the construction businesses to resume work with limited workforces so that we keep the economy wheel going,” Awamleh told The Jordan Times.

The HDA chairman added that "the government can impose the necessary health and safety requirements that would ensure safe distances for example or minimum labourers on the sites as a start”.

Other future steps that the government can adopt to maintain the operation of construction businesses is by "decreasing taxes and government transactions fees related to this sector”.

"We hope that the government will support us and we should also stand by our country in these difficult times because our country gave us a lot and it is time that we all join hands and give back to our country and its people,” Awamleh said.