BusinessLive reports that SA’s mines, which are slowly returning to work as coronavirus lockdown restrictions are eased, have recorded six deaths related to the pandemic.  

Mines were shut down from 27 March as the government implemented a strict lockdown of the economy to curtail the spread of the virus.  Since the start of June, mines have been granted permission to return to full production.  So far, about 273,000 out of a 450,000 workforce have returned to the mines and are being screened daily.  The Minerals Council SA (MCSA) reported on Thursday that six mine workers had died from Covid-19 to date.  Two of these people had contracted the virus at home and died without being back at work, said Thuthula Balfour, the MCSA’s head of health.  She added that it was too soon to indicate a pattern as to which mines and which commodities were the hot-spots.  Of the six cases, two were in gold, three in platinum and one in quarrying.  All six had underlying conditions that made them susceptible to developing Covid-19.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Allan Seccombe at BusinessLive

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