Seven cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed at Implats’ mechanised platinum group metals (PGMs) mine in Ontario, Canada, but no employee or dependant has yet been diagnosed at Implats’ labour-intensive South African and Zimbabwean operations. The Canadian deal provided Implats with the 700-employee, round-the-clock mechanised Lac des Iles mine, with no more than 200 people underground at any one time, compared with Implats’ 40 000-employee Southern African operations where thousands work in close proximity to one another in underground mines.
