Large construction companies, except for Eurovia, have not yet halted production

Prague - Large construction companies with multi-billion annual revenues, besides Eurovia, are not interrupting their production. They allow working from home as much as possible, but this is not feasible on the construction sites. Some are operating in emergency mode, implementing alternating shifts, and advising employees to cancel external meetings. This follows from responses from representatives of construction companies that CTK contacted today. Eurovia CS announced on Monday that starting Wednesday, due to the spread of the coronavirus, it will stop all construction work and office activities for a period of 14 days.

"We are addressing measures against the spread of COVID-19 operationally, either through decisions from the board of directors or recommendations issued by the human resources department. For the time being, we are allowing the option of working from home in operations and departments where working conditions permit. We have implemented alternating shifts at workplaces, which can also be utilized in project implementation," stated spokesperson for Hochtief Michal Talián.

According to him, alternating shifts mean that employees do not physically meet when changing shifts on the construction sites. In offices where pairs of people work, they alternate on-site week by week. The other partner is currently working from home. Over the weekend, the offices will be disinfected.

"We recommend employees cancel all external meetings that are not essential for the operation of the firm. Of course, this is a situation that evolves, and it is possible that our measures may be adjusted," Talián added.

Metrostav, according to spokesperson Vojtěch Kostiha, allows temporary work from home by agreement with supervisors for four groups of employees. Specifically, for those whose nature of work permits it, those who are under mandatory quarantine, workers who cannot ensure care for their children in any other way after schools are closed, and also employees over 65 years old. "We are not halting construction in the Czech Republic for now. As I mentioned, we are preserving construction sites in Norway," Kostiha added.

According to Strabag spokesperson Edita Novotná, the company is currently able to secure constructions in transport construction both materially and humanly, also thanks to having its own resources. As she stated, these constructions are proceeding without significant restrictions. However, Strabag is missing workers who commute from Slovakia. "Unfortunately, we are already experiencing greater difficulties in civil engineering, where access to construction materials is worsening every day and some workers are starting to be missing. Our suppliers are facing similar issues. We expect that the situation regarding access to construction materials will generally worsen further," she added. According to her, Strabag cannot rule out that the measures taken against the spread of infection will also affect construction completion dates.

"The current situation is, of course, having far-reaching effects on our company. And of course, we are currently unable to estimate the final consequences. We are implementing a number of measures to protect our workers. Our plants are operating in a limited, emergency mode. The same goes for construction from site to site," stated manufacturing and technical director of Swietelsky construction František Fryš. According to him, the company is trying to limit gatherings of larger groups of people. In some cases, they have also postponed the return of employees after the winter break. "Where possible, our people are working from home remotely. No one today seems able to effectively protect their employees," Fryš noted.

According to board member of SMP CZ Pavel Kameník, the current situation is affecting the company’s activities. At the moment, it is more in administration than on construction sites. "We have prepared various scenarios for different situations, and their activation depends on how much the epidemic spreads and impacts our employees. In any case, our goal is to maintain the operability of construction and service departments throughout the duration of the emergency regime," Kameník added.

Since Monday, the government has banned Czech citizens from traveling abroad, as well as the entry of foreigners into the Czech Republic. The sale of accommodation services is prohibited, dining establishments are closed, and most shops are closed with exceptions. The free movement of residents is also restricted to necessary actions.