Government working to reopen construction on 5 March

Sites have "shown they are able to operate safely" according to the Minister for Housing.

The government is planning to reopen the construction industry on 5 March, according to Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien. Speaking on Morning Ireland on Monday, he said that the plan remains to reopen the sites on 5 March, "as it can be done safely". He said the provision of new homes is "essential", and there is a loss of 700 to 800 home builds with each week the sector remains closed. He said: "We are working towards 5 March, in terms opening up of the construction site sector, as it can be done safely. The provision of homes and housing is crucially important, essential, in my view. "The reason that the sector was closed was nothing to do with their own work practices. It was simply to reduce the movement of people." "So they have been able to operate safely. They've shown that and I'm more than confident that we will be able to have the sector fully open again on 5 March, to be able to buy provide those homes that we're talking about." You can listen back to the interview here. While the country's current safety restrictions are due to be lifted on 5 March, it is believed a number of them will remain in place past this date.