Maldives National Association of Construction Industry (MNACI) has predicted the construction industry will face a loss of USD 53 million due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a virtual press conference, President of MNACI Mohamed Ali Janah disclosed a research paper detailing the effect the pandemic will have on the construction industry. In the paper, MNACI has predicted the 384 contractors registered at the association will face a total loss of USD 53 million due to the pandemic. MNACI states the figure represents the loss which would be caused by the expenditure on staff accommodation and salaries, while no income is recorded.
Speaking at the press conference, Janah said MNACI is currently in efforts to prepare a health and safety guideline for the construction industry. He said once the guideline is endorsed by Health Protection Agency (HPA), measures such as checking body temperatures and wearing personal protective suits must be imposed on construction sites when necessary.
Noting there are large numbers of expatriates working in the construction sector, the head of the construction association said this is the time to reduce the expatriate load on the sector. As such, he expressed belief at least 20,000 expatriates need to be released, out of the 50,000 expatriates working in the sector.