One of the noticeable features in Anguilla, despite the covid-19 lockdown, has been that the construction work on various public sector projects on contract not only continued, but made significant progress.
Those projects largely comprise schools and healthcare facilities being funded under the Anguilla Programme by the UK Government from the humanitarian grant of 60 million pounds. In a few cases, taking into account the avoidance of large gatherings and the social distancing guidelines, there may have been some temporary reductions in the numbers of workers. But the construction work proceeded well without any major interruptions.
The projects include the rebuilding of The Valley Primary School; the Adrian T. Hazell Primary School; the Orealia Kelly Primary School; the Morris Vanterpool Primary School; Campus A of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School (the largest project); the Western Polyclinic at South Hill; The Valley Polyclinic; and the Storeroom and other facilities at the Princess Alexandra Hospital.
This is the first time in Anguilla, in recent memory, that there has been so much public sector work in the construction industry which usually accounts for a big share of the economy. The so-called boom in construction resulted from the widespread damage to the island by Hurricane Irma in September 2017 – and the provision of funding by the UK Government. The private sector had been leading the construction industry for several years, mainly with respect to the tourism sector.