Canada-headquartered Ivanhoe Mines has unveiled “extraordinary” measures to continue construction of its large-scale Kamoa-Kakula copper project, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), amid the coronavirus crisis.
The miner has locked down Kamoa-Kakula and all key personnel on site, with only food and critical equipment entering under strict delivery protocols.
A total of 881 employees, who were previously based in surrounding communities and Kolwezi, have been moved to permanent minesite accommodation and up to 250 additional employees will be moved to the site once accommodation has been expanded.
In total, 3 500 employees and contractors are based at the site, Ivanhoe said in a statement on Thursday.