ENDEAVOUR Mining said it had quarantined employees at its Burkina Faso mine Houndé after one employee had tested positive for COVID-19 virus following a trip to the UK, but it did not anticipate any impact on gold production.
“As the employee did not show symptoms upon arrival and passed the mandatory health screening, the company further increased its preventive measures by introducing a mandatory 14-day quarantine period for any employees or contractors arriving in Cote d’Ivoire or Burkina Faso,” the company said in an announcement on March 16.
“Endeavour has not witnessed any impact to production or operations at any of its mines or exploration activities,” it said. “The company also has sufficient inventory of supplies and equipment, while suppliers have confirmed that placed and forecast orders are intact.”
In addition, a business continuity programme was in place to protect employees with all mine sites “strictly controlled” with health screening for visitors, contractors and employees, it said. Non-essential business travel had also been cancelled whilst any employee who feels unwell has been told to stay at home.
The onset of COVID-19 had caused enormous disruption to business globally, with an initial impact starting to make itself present in West Africa.
An employee at AngloGold Ashanti’s Obuasi gold mine in Ghana tested positive for coronavirus March 15. The firm said operations at the mine, where gold production is ramping up, would continue.
The infected employee – a Ghanaian recently returned from travel abroad – is in self-isolation at his home and the company is working with Ghana’s ministry of health to trace all contacts, AngloGold Ashanti said in a statement.
Ghana has so far reported six cases of the novel coronavirus. On March 16, Tanzania, Liberia, Benin, and Somalia confirmed their first cases of the virus which has now spread to 30 African countries, according to a report by Reuters.
Golden Star Resources said it had moved to secure supplies that will be crucial in keeping the firm’s gold mining operations running smoothly. It operates two mines in Ghana.
Barrick Gold Corporation, a prominent gold producer in west and central Africa said it had secured supplies and would use extensive systems developed to manage the risk following the Ebola virus outbreak in previous years.
