The world's deepest gold mine in South Africa shut down after the company that owns the mine AngloGold Ashanti Limited has detailed 164 instances of the novel coronavirus among its gold mine laborers in South Africa, bringing up new issues about how to keep the infection from spreading in profound underground mines.
The cases were discovered in Amponing, the world's deepest mine, where operations extend up to four kilometers below the surface.
In response, the company, using an electronic tracking system, has temporarily shut down the mine and begun tracking the contacts of positive testers. It said the "majority" of those who tested positive were not showing symptoms of the disease.
The new outbreak is the largest ever found in a mine in South Africa. It has tripled the total number of cases in the country's mining industry, with 85 reported as of Sunday.
Concerned about the physical distance from the landmines, union leaders in South Africa have demanded that all workers be checked before returning to work. But the industry says this will not be possible due to a lack of test supplies.
South Africa's mining sector employs about 450,000 people. The country is one of the largest producers of gold and platinum in the world.
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| (Photo Source: Khushie Singh) |
To help shield laborers from the COVID-19 infection, South Africa's underground mines were constrained to 50 percent of typical limit when they were revived in mid-April in the wake of being closed down in the nation's first stage. But many mining companies are pushing for complete reopening, saying they cannot be profitable at half capacity.
On Sunday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in a speech that mining and most other economic sectors would be allowed to fully reopen on June 1, as long as they screen their workers and take other precautions. But he also warned that the risk of a "massive increase in infection" in South Africa was greater than ever.
Other outbreaks of the coronavirus in South Africa's mining sector include 19 cases at the Dorsaver Chrome mine, 34 owned by Ishwar Ltd., and 19 cases at the Maro Platinum mine owned by Impala Platinum Holdings Limited.
Anglo Gold Ashanti said in a statement on Sunday that he had discovered the first case of coronavirus last week. Since then, the South African-based company has conducted 650 tests among its employees, of which only a few are still awaiting results. This means that about one-fourth of the tests were positive. This is the highest rate in South Africa's mining sector.
For example, in the Darsriver mine, about 66% of the tests were positive. For the industry as a whole, 85 cases were reported in 3,035 tests at a positive rate of 3%. One death has been reported in positive test takers.
According to the Minerals Council South Africa, according to the Minerals Council, which represents the industry, about 200,000 mine workers have so far been shown before returning to work.
However, screening is a process that primarily examines disease or other symptoms of the virus and makes it difficult to detect asymptomatic cases, unless they are in contact with someone who has had a positive experience. what happened.
Thothala Balfour, head of health at the Minerals Council, told a media briefing on Friday that not all workers would be "treated" to protect the laboratory, as a worker who has a negative experience could become infected the next day. He said it would be impossible to inspect 450,000 workers daily.
Dr Balfour said South Africa had limited testing resources, and it would be unfair to monopolize those resources for the mining industry. The industry is looking for ways to enhance its testing capabilities, he said.
South African media has said that some mining industry officials are disappointed with the postponement in acquiring coronavirus test results from South African health research centers and are searching for approaches to accelerate the procedure with their testing.
The National Union of Mine Workers, one of South Africa's largest unions, said last week that it was concerned about the rising incidence of COVID-19 in the mining industry.
"Workers cannot be sacrificed for profit during a crisis," the union said, urging its members to refuse to work in any mine where there are no strict measures to protect them from the virus. Are applied.
In this month's ruling, South Africa's Labor Court has expressed similar concerns. Whether in or out of various parts of the mine, in underground cages, in and out of landmines, or in mine hostels, it is impossible for miners to be infected with other people. Who may be affected, " the court said.
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