diff --git a/modules/performRegionalEventSimulation/regionalGroundMotion/CreateStation.py b/modules/performRegionalEventSimulation/regionalGroundMotion/CreateStation.py
index f7e8c5e69..77ad1ef53 100644
--- a/modules/performRegionalEventSimulation/regionalGroundMotion/CreateStation.py
+++ b/modules/performRegionalEventSimulation/regionalGroundMotion/CreateStation.py
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@
 import json
 import numpy as np
 import pandas as pd
-import requests
 
 
 def get_label(options, labels, label_name):
@@ -407,6 +406,8 @@ def get_zTR_ncm(lat, lon):
     Output:
         zTR: list of depth to bedrock
     """
+    import requests
+
     zTR = []
 
     # Looping over sites
@@ -439,6 +440,8 @@ def get_vsp_ncm(lat, lon, depth):
     Output:
         vsp: list of shear-wave velocity profile
     """
+    import requests
+
     vsp = []
     depthMin, depthInc, depthMax = [abs(x) for x in depth]
 
diff --git a/modules/performRegionalEventSimulation/regionalGroundMotion/FetchOpenQuake.py b/modules/performRegionalEventSimulation/regionalGroundMotion/FetchOpenQuake.py
index 13a3c827d..22f6e4d98 100644
--- a/modules/performRegionalEventSimulation/regionalGroundMotion/FetchOpenQuake.py
+++ b/modules/performRegionalEventSimulation/regionalGroundMotion/FetchOpenQuake.py
@@ -80,16 +80,19 @@ def handleError(func, path, exc_info):
     if not os.path.isdir('./oq-engine'):
         try:
             os.system('git clone https://github.com/gem/oq-engine.git')
-            # switch to the stable version
-            owd = os.getcwd()
-            os.chdir('./oq-engine')
-            os.system('git clean -d -f')
-            os.system('git checkout '+oq_version)
-            os.chdir(owd)
+            try:
+                # switch to the stable version
+                owd = os.getcwd()
+                os.chdir('./oq-engine')
+                os.system('git clean -d -f')
+                os.system('git checkout '+oq_version)
+                os.chdir(owd)
+            except:
+                print('FetchOpenQuake: failed to switch to the OpenQuake commit '+oq_version)
         except:
             shutil.rmtree('oq-engine', onerror=handleError)
             print('FetchOpenQuake: could not clone https://github.com/gem/oq-engine.git')
-    shutil.copytree('./oq-engine/openquake',os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__))+'/openquake')
+    shutil.copytree('./oq-engine/openquake',os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__))+'/openquake',symlinks=True)
     shutil.rmtree('oq-engine', onerror=handleError)
 
 from openquake.baselib import config, version, performance, general, zeromq, hdf5, parallel