Understanding the Effect of Movement Control Order during Covid-19 Pandemic on Contractors

Abstract

Series of Movement Control Order (MCO), also known as - Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) were issued by Malaysian government with the intention of flattening the spread of Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. The series of MCO, though successfully flattened the curve of Covid-19 spread in the country, has affected all areas of life, including the construction industry. This paper aims to investigate the impacts as well as collisions of Covid-19 Pandemic and the handling of MCO effects from contractors' perspectives. Representative from 2 major contractors association were interviewed. The method adopted was joint In-depth interview or paired interview and was conducted online. Data collected was coded and thematic analysis ensued. The findings exposed those various impacts were inflicted on the contractors namely financial, time and human resource because of Covid-19 and MCO. Several proposals namely introduce stimulus package and lunch new projects to get the economy running, legalize illegal foreign workers as immediate and short- term solution, and emphasizing new ways of construction, particularly by adopting the Industrialized Building System (IBS) and automated or digital construction were raised, to cushion the impact and sustain the industry in the long haul.