Ecuador will progressively restart mining activity this week after the government approved new security protocols for mineral transport and the return of workers to the mines amid the coronavirus pandemic, an official said over the weekend.
Mining activity in the Andean nation fell by 60% since mid-March, when the government imposed a quarantine to contain one of the worst outbreaks of the coronavirus in Latin America, government data show.
That came as Ecuador, an oil-producing country facing a debt crisis, is seeking to develop its mining industry to diversify its economy and sources of government revenue as it struggles to pay a heavy debt load.