With the first case of coronavirus, or Covid-19, confirmed in South Africa, the Minerals Council South Africa has emphasised the importance of mitigating measures that need to be implemented in the mining industry.

In early February, the council provided its members with material, available in English, Afrikaans, Zulu and Sesotho, on these mitigation measures.

Moreover, as concern around the disease intensified, the Minerals Council and its members continue to monitor the situation globally and nationally; to engage and align fully with the National Institute for Communicable Disease's (NCID's) planning for business and occupational health settings; and to develop plans to reduce and mitigate its impact.

The Minerals Council has indicated that the mining sector has special circumstance that could make it vulnerable to the transmission of infectious diseases such as Covid-19.

It noted that employees congregated in areas of work and travelled in close proximity.

Moreover, as mining often involved physical activity, there could be a high degree of exposure to the virus simply through contact with people, machinery and equipment, the council said.

Also, mining executives and officials who visit offshore operations were at risk of contracting the virus in other countries and bringing the infection into South Africa, said the council.

However, the Minerals Council noted that the mining industry had extensive and existing systems in place to deal with communicable diseases, as well as for the monitoring of health and the provision of healthcare.

For its part, the Minerals Council has adopted a nine-point action plan to deal with any Covid-19 infections.

The industry is putting in place risk-mitigating measures to rapidly identify any case of the virus, to ensure rapid isolation and contact tracing, and could – if necessary – mobilise large-scale medical facilities, the Minerals Council noted.

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, meanwhile, on Thursday questioned the readiness of mining houses to deal with the inherent dangers of especially working areas in mines, given the confinement of large groups of workers.

It called on mining houses to urgently convene a summit for the sector, to ensure continuous evaluation of risks and concomitant action by all stakeholders.