Canada’s Mountain Province Diamonds said on Tuesday that its current sale had been postponed until further notice, as a result of the city-wide closures taking effect in Antwerp, Belgium this week.
The sale is the company’s third diamond sale of the year. Mountain Province cautioned that, depending on the length of the closure period imposed, future sales could also be impacted.
“The company is reviewing options to consider alternative sales methods as it tries to navigate through these unprecedented times,” it said in a statement.
The Covid-19 global pandemic continues to force health officials to take drastic measures in order to slow down the spread of the virus. Antwerp has announced city-wide closure of buildings and commercial sites starting Thursday.
The virus is not impacting on operations at Mountain Province’s Gahcho Kué mine, in Canada, with numerous precautionary measures having been implemented in the past few weeks.