Mineworker virus cases inflate Colon statistics

With 272 confirmed cases of Covid-19 disease, The province of Colón is third in the country with the most confirmed cases. Health authorities claim that the high number is due to cases that have originated within the Minera Panama project, which operates in the Donoso district.

The Industrial Union of Mine Construction and Mining Development Workers (STM) has asked the Ministry of Health (Minsa), during its daily press conference to list separately cases detected within the copper mine project.

“We believe and recommend that this statistic should be handled separately to calm the population a little,” said  STM spokesman Carlos González,

Currently, the cases of Minera Panamá are included in those of Colón, which has caused a swelling in the numbers of those affected in the province.

González said that they have sent a letter to the Health Minister, Rosario Turner, in which they demand the participation of the workers’ representatives in the health and safety committee.

Between 900 and 1,000 workers remain in the mining site  and the company has decided to carry out tests on all those who are stll carrying out maintenance work..

“We continue to receive complaints [of] that [the workers] want to leave, that they want to quarantine as established by some protocols, but nothing has been answered,” said González.

There are between 800 and 1,000 mine workers quarantined at beach and capital city hotels, according to the STM.

The mine was closed by order of the Minsa on April 6, when evacuations of the first 350 people began. Subsequently, the company requested that a number of people be left to attend to environmental issues.

The company says there are 117 infected miners, but the union suspects that they are more, including those who are housed in hospital hotels.