Giant mine, virus free, ready to restart and aid Panama economy

MineraPanama The giant  Canadian owned,mining operation in Colon  which has registered five  COVID-19  deaths announced Saturday, June 27  that it is  now free of the virus.

First Quantum company Cobre Panama, which runs the region’s largest open-pit declared itself ready to return to operate without risking health protocols”.

In a published  statement Minera said:  “the return of 3,500 employees can be achieved safely and responsibly, avoiding the possible transmission risks that would come from returning to the total workforce of 7,000 employees.”

Last April and after the first death of a worker from COVID-19, the temporary closure of the operations of Cobre Panamá and the establishment of a sanitary fence by the Ministry of Health (Minsa) were ordered.

To date, the number of recovered miners amounts to 197 after the last one left the National Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation on Saturday, where he was doing therapy to improve his physical condition after the illness.

The company said  that “with his  release from the hospital, the workforce of Cobre Panamá declares herself free of covid-19.”

It stressed that “this last miner represents the strength of 197 who fought the battle against this virus that in total affected 202 collaborators, and painfully took the lives of five of them.”

The company said that the sanitary protocols that it applies are “strict” and exposed to the authorities that have carried out nearly a dozen inspections, and also provided data “that shows that since May 8 there are no new cases inside the mine” .

More than 9,000 serological tests have been applied, certified by the Gorgas Commemorative Institute, and a laboratory has been built for the analysis of the tests.

In addition, sanitization and misting of all areas has been implemented as part of a regular procedure at the mine.

In the coexistence zones, lines of at least 2 meters have been demarcated for lines in the required areas, such as those for collecting prepared meals and those assigned for daily health evaluations.

In the transfer of the workers who manage the maintenance and safe preservation, to and from the mine, a strict control is also maintained while the

Buses traveling to the mine have been determined to have a maximum occupancy of 40% of total capacity.

“These and other measures are supervised by the authorities and our Special Health and Hygiene Committee for the Prevention and Care” of the disease, said Keith Green, Country Manager for Cobre Panamá.

Because of this, Cobre Panamá considers that “in collaboration with Minsa and the majority mining union Utramipa, it is confident that it can return to a normal level of operations again without risking health protocols.”

Cobre Panamá is a copper mine of the company First Quantum Minerals and Minera Panamá SA is the legal designation of the group in Panama

The $6.7 billion private investment project held its first grind on February 18, 2019 and  shipped its first export in June  2019, primarily to China.