GLASGOW School of Art bosses have insisted they will protect what's left of the fire-ravaged Mackintosh building as Covid-19 stops work there.
The world-famous Charles Rennie Mackintosh creation has been damaged in two fires since 2014, the last far more devastating than the first.
The May 2014 incident began in the destroyed the iconic Charles Rennie Mackintosh library but £35 million restoration work was almost complete when second fire swept through the building in June 2018, prompting widespread public outrage.
Tonnes of material has since been removed from the site but that clearance work will now halt after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that all but essential construction sites, such as those for hospitals, must close to limit the spread of the potentially-deadly virus.
However, Art School bosses say regular site inspections and surveillance measures will continue.
In a statement, they said: “The Glasgow School of Art has been advised by Reigart Contracts Ltd that, in line with the guidance from the Scottish Government, the company has suspended clearance work in the Mackintosh Building until further notice.
“Reigart Contracts Ltd has put in place a system of on-going checks on the building which will be undertaken throughout the stand down including a programme of weekly inspections of the scaffolding."
The statement said the 24-hour security system currently in place "will also continue", as will "regular monitoring of the building" by structural engineers.
Meanwhile, all non-urgent work across the institution's Garnethill campus has also been suspended.
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