ABOUT 416 construction sites have been shut down from June 1 to yesterday for failing to comply with Covid-19 standard operating procedure, Deputy Works Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup said.

Kurup said that out of the total, to date 232 construction sites were allowed to resume operations after following the SOP.

He said that from June 1 to yesterday, the Construction Industry Development Board has carried out checks at 10,087 construction sites.

“Out of the total, we have found out that 5,317 construction sites are in operation, while 4,770 are not operational.

“In order to ensure that the industry is not affected, the ministry has taken proactive measures to conduct checks and increase vaccination processes at the sites,” he said at Dewan Rakyat today.

Kurup was replying to a supplementary question from Che Abdullah Mat Nawi (Tumpat-PAS) who asked about the cluster in this sector and what action has been taken by the ministry. 

He said that closures of construction sites is under the purview of the Health Ministry, but added that CIDB also has the authority to impose penalties if the sites don’t follow SOP.

As for vaccination in the construction industry, Kurup said that up to yesterday, health officials have vaccinated 43,269 individuals, while 56,498 foreign workers have also got their second jab. – September 27, 2021.