The Construction Industry Federation has directed its members to cease working on building sites and secure them immediately.
The move follows the introduction by the Government of new restrictions on Friday night to counteract the spread of Covid-19.
In a statement the director general of the CIF, Tom Parlon, said the Minister for Health Simon Harris has indicated that construction has not been deemed an essential service and as such construction workers should stay at home effective from midnight on Friday night. "The Government is finalising a list of essential services to be completed later today (Saturday) that might outline some limited forms of construction essential to combatting Covid-19 directly," Mr Parlon said. "In the meantime,