Impact of the Pandemic—Covid-19 on Construction Sector in Bahrain

Abstract

Since the level and severity of Covid-19 pandemic cases vary by location and due to different kinds of projects, it is one of the most important risk management elements globally today. Covid-19 caused numerous financial and non-financial losses to the communities and the economy. Owing to the lockdown, disruption in supply chain management, health and safety standards, transportation, and commercial effects, this pandemic infection had an influence on the entire world. The current study is focused on analyzing the influence of COVID-19 on the construction sector of Bahrain, as the construction industry is a major contributor to the economy. This research has been divided into three parts. The first deals with reviewing the relevant literature, and the second concerns questioning ten companies with 60 projects under construction, working in Bahraini's construction sector—as a case study. These cases have been investigated to diagnose the most affecting Factors on the construction projects in Bahrain due to covid-19, which is the third part of the study. The results show that 60–90% of the participants testified that COVID-19 caused some delays to their projects, cash flow delays, importing material, and deferring projects once or more. It was found that all the participants (100%) denied that their projects were wholly stopped due to a lack of staff or materials.