Angry renovation companies are hitting the ruling party government for being unprepared for the post-circuit breaker period. According to the contractors, processes are complicated and the approval rate is slow.
Richard Yea, 43, chief executive officer of interior design firm Design 4 Space, said:
“Around 20% to 30%of my sub-contractors can start work on Tuesday, but most are waiting for approval from the relevant authorities. Around 110 pending residential projects and all were not approved by BCA.”
Renovation companies that intend to restart have to seek approval from the government’s Building Construction Authority and show documents such as photos of suspended works and contractual agreements with home owners.
The renovation companies also said they are now desperate for foreign workers, especially those from Malaysia. According to the Singapore Renovation Contractors and Material Suppliers Association, nly 10% of the tradesman in Singapore are citizens or permanent residents, while 80% are Malaysians.
Under lockdown, Malaysia ban Malaysians from going to Singapore, until June 9. Singapore is currently Asia’s biggest coronavirus cluster country.