Advice for the housing, construction & building maintenance industries: If you can work from home, do so. If you are working on site, you can continue to do so. But follow Public Health England guidance on social distancing. Outside of work, remember to #StayHomeSaveLives
When Gove said that building site workers were outdoors and they could keep 2 metres apart, I thought all building site workers aren't outside, workers usually travel in vans together with non-family members, what about if builder 1 wants builder 2 to give him a lift with something that isn't 2 meters long, I though the lockdown was to prevent all of this misapprehension?
I dare say finishing a deck might be ok, as long as you already have the materials, and you keep away from the clients, but 'cash in hand'. That's the problem right there.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Well considering Markos is self-employed, and the Gov’t are failing to protect the self-employed, yet subsidising up to £2500 for employees (seems fair), I can’t see how they expect people not to flout this when and where they can. The Gov’t had better put in better support for the self-employed if they expect people to choose obeying the very necessary rules in place over food/bills. Only those with substantial savings/family to fall back on can afford to follow this as it stands. They really didn’t think this through. In other countries, self-employed are being given an average of previous years’ earnings. Here, the self-employed are allowed £94/week but only if they get sick, and good luck getting benefits if you have any kind of savings or other household income.
The Government have said they are working on that. Give them a chance.
The large building sites I know about have shut down but small sites with individual tradespeople are keeping going. They travel alone in their vans and as long as the homeowner at the place they are working (if there is one) keeps away and lets them crack on, they are social distancing. This situation is not going to be a couple of weeks - it'll be months and if you currently have a hole in your roof or an extension half built, or no kitchen or proper bathroom, you can't just sit and wait while the weather howls past. Gardening may not be as essential as roofing but if you are careful and most importantly if you obey the rules travelling to and from site and when you're not working, there's no strong reason not to at least finish the jobs already started. B&Q and Jewsons (and probably others) have said they are closing today for 24 hours while they work out how to trade safely. They expect to reopen tomorrow but in a different way to 'normal'. We do need tradesmen to keep working, not only for their own income's sake. My neighbour repairs farm vehicles 'in the field'. It's such an obscure job, he won't appear on a list of 'allowed' business, but 1) his work is a small but necessary part of the food chain and 2) the farmers just tell him where they left it and he goes to it, not to them. I can't see that there's any risk in that, as long as he takes his own sandwiches.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Michael Gove has also announced that working on one's allotment counts as exercise as long as people observe social distancing rules.
I doubt that extends to jobbing gardeners but suggest a visit to the government Covid website might clarify this.
I hope they get a move on and organise financial support to the self-employed and gig economy workers. It's a lot of people doing all sorts of jobs and with all sorts of incomes hit.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I’ve just had a phone call from ridgeons cancelling my order for the foreseeable future. So looks like I won’t be able to finish the job anyway and my customers will be trapped inside without safely going into their garden for fresh air. I feel awful
Posts
Builders in the UK can carry on working
After some confusion, the UK's housing minister posted this update. In short, builders can work if necessary - but must practise social distancing.
Social embed from twitter
Advice for the housing, construction & building maintenance industries:
If you can work from home, do so.
If you are working on site, you can continue to do so. But follow Public Health England guidance on social distancing.
Outside of work, remember to #StayHomeSaveLives
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Gardening may not be as essential as roofing but if you are careful and most importantly if you obey the rules travelling to and from site and when you're not working, there's no strong reason not to at least finish the jobs already started.
B&Q and Jewsons (and probably others) have said they are closing today for 24 hours while they work out how to trade safely. They expect to reopen tomorrow but in a different way to 'normal'.
We do need tradesmen to keep working, not only for their own income's sake.
My neighbour repairs farm vehicles 'in the field'. It's such an obscure job, he won't appear on a list of 'allowed' business, but 1) his work is a small but necessary part of the food chain and 2) the farmers just tell him where they left it and he goes to it, not to them. I can't see that there's any risk in that, as long as he takes his own sandwiches.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I doubt that extends to jobbing gardeners but suggest a visit to the government Covid website might clarify this.
I hope they get a move on and organise financial support to the self-employed and gig economy workers. It's a lot of people doing all sorts of jobs and with all sorts of incomes hit.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”