Intricacies and lifeline for the construction industry amidst the coronavirus pandemic

Age distribution of COVID cases (January to July 2020)(WHO, 2020a). To curb the spread of COVID-19, a general policy adopted by many countries was the curfew (Benítez et al., 2020), shutting down the economy through a total lockdown, social distance and restriction of movement and activities (closure of airports and schools, among others). Other measures adopted include the use of protective equipment, including nose masks, and regimented essential service access, among others. These measures were enacted to help flatten the curve. However, the impact of these restrictions due to COVID-19 has been observed to increase stress, promote gender-based violence (WHO, 2020b), and affect the stock markets (Aslam et al., 2020). The construction industry is an important one, vital to the growth of the economy, and is not immune to these effects. Traditionally, it is a busy industry employing a vast number of hands working concurrently; hence human contact is inevitable. Moreover, it is an essential industry as it provides shelter to people and health facilities, among others. For instance, several structures were constructed during the pandemic to accommodate victims, among which are the high-standard isolation units in Shenzhen, China (Zhou et al., 2020). However, this must be done without compromising the health of workers. Beyond the value delivered by the construction industry, it is also impacted by the many COVID-19 policies and regulations enacted. For instance, some challenges facing construction include labour shortage, 15% productivity loss, Health, Safety and Environment issues, especially the procurement...