It was the epicentre of the coronavirus in the US, but construction is quickly resuming in New York City, reports The New York Times.
Eighty-five percent of jobs had halted amid the peak of Covid-19 cases in mid-April, according to the paper.
But with daily deaths, hospitalisations and new cases all rapidly declining, building work is resuming.
Every day, hundreds of job sites are re-opening as developers, contractors and unions lobby city officials.
According to the Times, around 5,200 projects were operating again as of yesterday.
They include large projects like the Spiral office tower at Hudson Yards (pictured) and One Vanderbilt near Grand Central Terminal, as well as home renovations.
Labourers are wearing respiratory masks, even on breaks, and are disinfecting tools, while contractors have installed extra hand-washing stations.
"I would have to say that the industry has evolved very rapidly to adapt to our current environment regarding the coronavirus," Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, told the Times.
The city’s Department of Building said inspectors were monitoring construction sites to check that workers were maintaining distance from each other.
Image: Render of the Spiral office tower at Hudson Yards, developed by Tishman Speyer and designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (www.thespiralny.com)
