With all that free time on your hands, it might seem like the perfect opportunity to finish a deck or renovate a kitchen.

Or maybe you want to get a head start on your garden.

But unless you have every single last thing you need to do the job, don't even start, a construction supplier says.

"The misconception is that now is the time to be doing all that stuff, but a pandemic doesn't mean it's project time," said Chris Williams, who drives a truck in London to deliver construction supplies to job sites.

"Just because you're off work doesn't mean it's time to build a deck. I'm the guy who gets put in harm's way."

Many people have been going to hardware stores to pick up supplies which are not essential but rather pass-the-time, make-work projects.

Others have been getting supplies such as lumber, soil or mulch delivered to their homes.

'Why is construction essential?'

"People see the truck pull up, they get excited and they're getting close to us," Williams said. "I don't mean to be cynical, but maybe we have to shut everything down because people are not getting the message."

At big construction sites, many tasks require two or three people, he said, and workers can't do their job without getting closer than the requisite two-metre distance health officials say we should maintain between people.

"I'm baffled as to why construction is essential," Williams said.

"The sites I see, there are no facilities for the guy to wash their hands, the port-a-potties are not in great shape, people are stealing the hand sanitizer out of them. I think for the ultimate good, we should shut it down."