Victorian builders baffled by decision to stop construction in lockdown

Victorian builders say the state's latest five-day lockdown rules are excessive, especially for regional Victoria where work has ground to a halt just when it was getting back to normal. Key points: Regional builders are facing harsher restrictions than ever before during Victoria's snap lockdown During the height of the pandemic, builders were still able to go to work with masks on and social distancing But in East Gippsland, builders and residents alike are frustrated they cannot get on with rebuilding after devastating bushfires Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews says the statewide blanket lockdown is a "circuit breaker" to a growing cluster in Melbourne's north. Concern about 'catastrophic' longer lockdown Master Builders' Association of Victoria chief executive Rebecca Casson said the restrictions were the harshest the building and construction industry had faced to date. Ms Casson said all the builders she had spoken to said their workbooks were absolutely full to the brim and any extension of the lockdown could be "catastrophic" for the industry. "You might still see a little bit of building and construction happening and people might be a bit confused as to whether or not they're allowed to go onto work sites or not," she said.