The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy says there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 in the mining sector.
This comes after the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, met with the leadership of the Minerals Council in Johannesburg on Tuesday to receive an update on plans in place for the sector to adequately respond to the current Coronavirus pandemic.
On Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the outbreak a national disaster and outlined a comprehensive plan detailing how the country will respond in the short to medium term.
The department said a ten-point plan has been developed for the mining sector in line with the Department of Health and National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) guidelines.
“The department’s health and safety inspectorate, working together with the mining companies and labour unions in the sector, are on high alert, and are testing the sector’s level of preparedness, with a focus on preventative control and managing any emerging risks for employees and communities in which mines operate.
“Work in the industry began over a month ago after the World Health Organisation announced the outbreak, with a focus on preventative control, and managing any emerging risks,” said the department.
It will continue to engage with the sector on, among other things, the use of their medical facilities for the broader communities around mining operations, as well as the use of any safe and unoccupied housing facilities for quarantine, should the need arise.
The Minister said: “Working together we have made great strides on the health and safety front in the sector. We are confident that our continued partnership to proactively manage the humanitarian and economic impact of this pandemic on the sector, will go a long way.”
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