TSX- and NYSE American-listed New Gold has begun a systematic ramp-up of operations at the Rainy River mine, in Ontario, following the completion of a voluntary 14-day suspension to adhere to provincial and federal Covid-19 guidelines related to out-of-country travel that impacted a significant portion of the local workforce.
Operations will steadily ramp up over the coming weeks with the overarching priority of ensuring the company provides the safest possible environment for employees, it said in a statement on April 3.
New Gold shut down the mine, which is close to the US border, to allow its workforce to self-isolate for 14 days. Border crossings to the local Minnesota communities are a common practice in the region.
The mine would initially use the local workforce during a progressive ramp-up of operations and would later, gradually, reintroduce its rotational workforce.
Extra health measures had been implemented, in accordance with the recommendations of the Ontario Department of Public Health, and would be overseen by the firm’s on-site nurse practitioner.