The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, which closed because of the stay-at-home order meant to slow the spread of coronavirus, announced Friday it will resume limited services this week to keep housing and infrastructure projects on track.

The department closed last Monday after the city issued the order requiring San Franciscans to stay at home, with certain exceptions, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

DBI’s closure confused many builders because the stay-at-home order specifically singled out housing construction as an essential service that should continue during the lockdown.

Starting Monday, DBI staff will be allowed to leave their homes to perform work “necessary to the operations and maintenance of essential infrastructure,” which include public works and housing construction, Mayor London Breed said.

While DBI’s headquarters at 1660 Mission St. will remain closed to the public, permitting departments will resume reviewing the plans of previously submitted projects and inspecting “essential infrastructure,” including housing, hotels and medical facilities. Staff will answer calls and emails from the public.

“We are working hard to try to figure out how to provide the services needed to keep essential housing construction going while abiding by the social-distancing requirements,” said Judson True, Breed’s director of housing delivery.

The decision was made after conferring with the city attorney about whether continuing inspection services was consistent with the statewide stay-at-home order Gov. Gavin Newsom issued Thursday. The city attorney “determined the governor’s order is complementary to ours,” Breed said, adding that the city is working out how the public may be able to access services and submit new housing construction projects to the building department in the coming days.

Matt Regan, vice president of public policy at the Bay Area Council, a business trade group, said, “We are very pleased the city is going to maintain the infrastructure that is required to keep the housing pipeline open.”

“It makes little sense to exempt critical functions like housing production from the shutdown unless the mechanisms required to do the work are also exempted,” Regan said. “If inspectors can’t go to the job sites, then the job sites have to shut down.”

Eric Tao, whose company L37 is building a mixed-use housing and hotel project at 950 Market St., applauded the reopening of DBI and said, “The mayor’s office has been very responsive.”

Workers on Tao’s 12-story project just finished pouring the 10th floor. Building codes require that every level be inspected upon completion, so work would have to stop without inspections, he said. In addition, night work permits are key — that’s when concrete trucks come.

“We have 11, 12, and the roof to finish,” he said. “This will allow work to continue. It’s exciting.”

Not every construction trades worker is thrilled about continuing to work during the pandemic.

One worker who is part of the team building the 5M project South of Market called the situation “troubling” and argued the decision is more motivated by corporate greed than public safety. He asked that his name not be used for fear of retaliation. Part of the 5M project is being developed by Hearst, the parent company of The San Francisco Chronicle.

“It’s difficult to understand why the city is letting this work continue while also claiming they’re taking all necessary measures in fighting the pandemic,” he said.

Tim Paulson, secretary-treasurer of the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council, said, “Health and safety of construction workers is our No. 1 concern. Period.”

“We expect the general contractors to adhere to all the protocols around distancing and safety. That’s the No. 1 thing we care about.”

He also emphasized that construction workers are free not to work if they feel it’s unsafe. “We are not telling our members to go to work against their will.”

J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen