China’s Building Work Stalls in February, as Virus Keeps Workers Indoors

Workers wearing face masks are seen at a construction site for the expansion of Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport as an airplane flies over, in Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China, on March 8, 2020. China Daily via Reuters

BEIJING/TOKYO—China’s construction activities were stalled in February as the government extended Lunar New Year holidays and advised people to stay indoors as a precaution against a coronavirus outbreak.

Data from Japan’s Komatsu, one of the world’s biggest makers of earth-moving equipment, showed use of its machinery in China fell nearly 30 percent to 32 hours last month, from a year ago.