May 14,
2020 | 12:30 am
MINING
COMPANIES will be allowed to resume operations at full capacity as long as they
follow strict safety guidelines, after the national government began relaxing
quarantine restrictions around the country.
The Mines
and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) on Wednesday released the guidelines for the
resumption of mining and mineral processing operations under a general
community quarantine (GCQ).
“A
workforce anywhere between 50% up to full operational capacity at the mine
shall be allowed, without prejudice to work from home and other alternative
work arrangements. Entry and exit of employees and personnel to and from the
enhanced community quarantine zone (ECQ) shall be prohibited,” Acting MGB
Director Wilfredo G. Moncano said in the circular.
The
Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has
allowed mining operations to resume in areas under the GCQ.
Caraga,
which is considered the main ore-producing region, will be downgraded to a GCQ
starting May 16.
The MGB
said mining firms should enforce a “no face mask, no entry” policy and physical
distancing in all work areas.
Mining
firms are also required to provide medical equipment, thermal scanners,
personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitizers and disinfectants at its mine
sites and plants.
Employees
and personnel reporting for work will be subjected to health procedures such as
thermal scanning and monitoring. Those who register a temperature reading above
37.5 degrees Celsius, even after a five-minute rest will not be allowed to
enter the site.
The MGB
also said all cargo vessels carrying minerals will be quarantined for 14 days,
starting from its departure from the last port of call.
“No
disembarkation of any vessel crew policy shall be strictly implemented,” the
circular said.
One of
the biggest mining companies in the country, Nickel Asia Corp. has already
resumed operations.
In a
disclosure to the stock exchange last week, Nickel Asia said that its Taganito
and Taganaan mines have resumed partial operations after almost a month of
voluntary suspension. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
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