Hainan construction industry restarts operations

Construction of 362 projects have been resumed in South China's Hainan province following a prolonged shutdown for the Chinese Spring Festival holiday due to the COVID-19 outbreak, according to officials with the provincial government.

Another 1,575 projects are ready to resume construction or operations in the near future, which will lead the return rate to about 23 percent in the island province.

Chen Xiaojing, deputy director of Hainan Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, said the provincial government has issued notices asking companies to establish complete epidemic prevention and control systems to prevent workplace infections.

He said to encourage quick restoration of businesses, Hainan has simplified approval procedures for restarting construction of housing and municipal engineering projects, with examination and approval of drawings, construction permits and qualifications, as well as all kinds of filing and registration requirements be handled online.

A much greater number of enterprises will soon resume operations in Hainan along with improved control of the epidemic and continuous implementation of supportive measures, according to the official.

He added that local governments are making efforts to provide solid services for companies restarting business, such as issuing public announcements for labor resources at local media platforms, and helping fix suppliers of construction materials, apart from preparation of epidemic control steps.

A total of 100,000 masks have been distributed to workers at 12 key construction projects, according to data from the provincial government.