In February 2020 – the month before COVID-19 containment measures began to be widely introduced by Member States – compared with January 2020, seasonally adjusted production in the construction sector fell by 1.5% in the euro area and by 1.0% in the EU, according to first estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In January 2020, production in construction increased by 4.0% in the euro area and by 3.4% in the EU.