Representatives from the ACT construction industry learnt at an ACT government roundtable on Tuesday there was no timeline to ease restrictions on building sites.

Meanwhile, the ACT branch of the CFMEU has called on the ACT government and construction industry to provide rapid antigen testing for workers, so potential cases of COVID-19 on work sites could be identified quickly.

The ACT director of construction company Icon, Aaron Clingan, said he had invited representatives from the ACT government to see how work was proceeding on the Therapeutic Goods Administration building at Fairbairn.

"We're all keen to get the industry up and running in totality, so anything we could do to help kickstart would be in our interest as well," he said.

Mr Clingan said Icon would also return to work on Wednesday at the Throsby school site, with ACT Health agreeing to allow 50 people on the site to keep the project going.

Workers on both sites would have staggered start times, regularly sanitise, wear masks and be directed by Covid marshals to maintain social distancing measures, he said.

Mr Clingan said the industry supported the original decision to lockdown hard at the start of the outbreak.

"It's just now that we need some direction on what we can do to help the government get it back up and running," he said.

Master Builders Association ACT chief executive Michael Hopkins said the ACT construction industry was facing the longest shutdown of any state or territory, and was disappointed it had no timeframe for returning.

"Even some clarity around a date that we won't be back before, would help industry plan the next week or two. But we're very disappointed to not even get some commitment to a not-before date from the government officials today, either," Mr Hopkins said.

Mr Hopkins said the construction industry had shown in other states it could continue operating throughout outbreaks of the Delta variant of COVID-19.

"It is safe to operate the construction industry through a lockdown with very strict safety protocols in place. We know our members are committed to doing that. In fact, they're committed to whatever measures need to be in place to make sure our industry can be reopened," he said.

Mr Hopkins said current business supports were nowhere near sufficient for large construction companies, the majority of which had stood down more than 90 per cent of workers.

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Geocon general manager Damon Smith said it would take double the length of the lockdown to return the construction industry to full capacity in the ACT.

Mr Smith said the roundtable was a positive step, but the industry needed better communication from the ACT government on a reopening plan.

Geocon had stood down 200 staff which had a flow-on effect to about 1000 sub-contractors, Mr Smith said.

"I think anything to get the industry reopened again, the industry would take onboard to achieve that outcome," Mr Smith said.

"Rapid antigen testing is just one way forward. Vaccinations is the ultimate goal, we need to work together as a unit to get the greater construction population, and the greater population at all, vaccinated."

Mr Smith said if the construction shutdown continued, the ACT government would need to take "drastic" action to support the sector.

While Chief Minister Andrew Barr has said the ACT government was working on plans for industry sectors to go back to work, no detail has yet been provided.

When asked about the construction industry, Mr Barr on Tuesday said Sydney was a live case study that showed what happened when lockdown restrictions were eased too quickly.

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Sustainable Building and Construction Minister Rebecca Vassarotti, who attended the roundtable on Tuesday, said the ACT government was working to provide the sector with clarity as soon as possible.

"The ACT Government has been working productively with industry to identify the types of measures that can be put in place to recommence construction in a COVID safe manner when the health advice enables this to occur," Ms Vassarotti said.

The CFMEU - the ACT's largest construction union - issued a statement on Tuesday calling for the ACT government to support Covid safety measures on worksites, and bring in rapid-antigen testing.

The union encouraged workers to get vaccinated but said it was opposed to making Covid vaccinations a condition of construction workers' employment.

"The community can be protected from COVID-19 without removing the rights of these workers to make informed decisions about their health," the union said.

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