Worried contractors have begun poring over their contract terms amid growing fears that they will be asked to stump up the costs of project delays caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Firms are now bracing themselves for sites to grind to a halt after the World Health Organisation (WHO) last night classified the outbreak as a pandemic – meaning the disease is spreading in multiple countries around the world at the same time.

This morning Ireland and Denmark announced they were shutting all schools. If the UK follows suit, architects and indeed all firms will struggle to resource jobs.

Ireland’s taoiseach Leo Varadkar said all schools, colleges and childcare facilities will close from tomorrow as part of a partial lockdown that will apply from 6pm tonight until March 29. He said staff should work from home where possible. Public transport and shops will remain open. He acknowledged it would come as “a real shock” and “would involve big changes in the way we live our lives” but he said he was acting on new medical advice.

Yesterday Balfour Beatty chief executive Leo Quinn told Building Design’s sister magazine Building the firm might be forced to shut sites if the spread of the virus got worse in the UK.

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