Site shutdowns have become an increasingly complex and divisive issue over the past two weeks. Multiplex was the first big contractor to state that it would be closing all sites, and then we saw a domino effect as firms assessed the risks and largely decided to err on the side of caution and halt works.

At the time of going to press Lendlease, Mace, Bouygues, Skanska and Sir Robert McAlpine had all suspended works on some or all sites.

But not everyone takes the same view. In fact, many are determined where possible to keep sites open, including Balfour Beatty, Interserve and Willmott Dixon, while Kier, Bam and Wates restarted works after initial suspensions to ensure they were following guidelines.

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