Minister: More Construction Sites despite Coronavirus Pandemic

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Serbian Minister of Construction, Transportation and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic said on April 22 that despite difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown measures, Serbia has reported a growing number of construction sites compared to 2019, which was a record year in the construction sector by any standard.

"There are 57,000 active construction sites in Serbia at this point, nearly 17,000 more that at the same time last year," Mihajlovic was quoted by her ministry as saying in an interview with the Happy TV.

The minister recalled that at the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak all construction companies were instructed not to suspend the works if they could provide full protection gear for their workers. "All major infrastructure building sites have been active, and Serbia's 11 largest projects have engaged nearly 3,500 workers," the minister said.

According to Mihajlovic, the construction of high-speed rails to connect Belgrade and Budapest, and Novi Sad and Subotica, which should have begun in March or April, was postponed for next fall. "It's a minimal postponement given the situation in Serbia and across the world," she said, adding that some 100.000 trucks had crossed into Serbia since March 13, of which more than 50,000 carried supplies for Serbia, and over 45,000 passed through Serbia to reach the region.