Over 5,400 home renovation projects in Singapore approved to resume work

THE Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has approved all applications for residential renovation projects previously suspended due to the Covid-19 "circuit breaker", it said on Wednesday.

This means that more than 5,400 such projects can now proceed to resume work.

BCA said all new applications to resume residential renovation works will be approved within two days, if the submission is in order.

Upon approval, renovation contractors can immediately resume work with construction workers who reside in private residential and HDB premises.

These workers have completed their 28-day stay-home notice during the "circuit-breaker" period and will not need to undergo a Covid-19 swab test before commencing work, BCA said.

However, contractors with workers residing in dormitories will have to wait for the dormitories to be cleared by an inter-agency taskforce set up to support foreign workers and dormitory operators, before the workers can be released for work.

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BCA also warned that some projects could still see delays even after they obtain approval to resume work. This could be due to factors such as contractors being unable to secure certain materials due to supply chain disruptions, or contractors with workers in Malaysia who are unable to travel to Singapore.

BCA said all workers - regardless of their residence in private housing, HDB premises or cleared dormitories - will continue to be subject to periodic Covid-19 tests after they start work.

If there are positive cases detected through the tests, the affected workers will have to stop work immediately, and their close contacts will all be quarantined. BCA will arrange with contractors for the tests to be conducted, it said.

Earlier last week, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said homeowners whose renovation works were disrupted would be given priority to restart works in phase one of the post "circuit-breaker" period.

However, the government will consider allowing new home renovation projects to proceed earlier if contractors can show that the appropriate measures are in place, he added.