Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. became on Thursday the latest major diversified miner to temporarily suspend operations at some of its mines to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The measure affects the company’s San Cristobal
silver-zinc-lead mine in Bolivia and Ambatovy nickel mine in Madagascar, as all-day
or night curfews have been imposed in those countries.
It excludes any facilities that require continuous
operation, such as power plants.
Bolivia declared on Wednesday a national health emergency
and extended its borders lockdown to April 15 from March 31. It has also
tightened restrictions on movement, permitting only one person per household to
go out between the hours of 7 am and noon on weekdays.
At least two cities in Madagascar have been in strict
lockdown since March 20 and any transport, except for goods, is forbidden.
There are now more than 2,400 confirmed cases of covid-19 across Africa and growing warnings that the pandemic will cause major challenges for the continent’s under-resourced health services.