Some contractors and construction workers are disappointed that their sector will not be reopened for at least the next two weeks.

They said after being able to vaccinate a significant amount of their workers, the hope of reopening was high.

On Saturday, the TT Contractors Association rolled out its covid19 vaccination drive for contractors and hardware workers at the paddock in the Queen's Park Savannah, the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA) the National Racquet Centre in Tacarigua and the Arouca Government Primary School, and the Magdalena Resort in Tobago.

Its members told Newsday that with a rapid vaccination process, the hope was for the construction sector to open soon.

Government has, so far, allocated 5,000 doses of the covid19 vaccines and various amounts for other areas in the private sector.

On Saturday at the Prime Minister's media conference at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's, Dr Rowley said construction will remain idle for another two weeks.

He said he asked Finance Minister Colm Imbert to look into providing relief for the workers who have been unpaid since the begining of May.

The association's president Glenn Mahabirsingh said it supported and trusted government's decision not to reopen.

'We understand the impact of covid19, and we would be guided by the health officials on when it would be safe to reopen.

'We are pleased that government is considering the salary relief grant for our workers, and we await to hear the details.'

Namalco Construction Service Ltd safety manager Larry Jerome said his company was able to get 60 workers vaccinated. This number represented the majority of the workers at the company.

'The process was very smooth and we did not experience any hiccups. We were expecting the construction sector to reopen next week because our employees need to get back to work.

'They were not able to access the social relief programmes like the salary relief grant or the food baskets.'

Alpha Engineering and Construction managing director Matthew Devaux said over 100 workers turned out for vaccines at the paddock and SAPA, which meant that 50 per cent of their staff and contractors were vaccinated.

He said construction workers' financial struggles have been exacerbated compared to last year because they have been completely excluded from the salary relief grant initiative.

'The country needs herd immunity, but we are not close to that at all. The TT Manufacturers Association achieved over 2,000 vaccines in one weekend, and this is what we need to achieve.'