Antofagasta PLC (LON:ANTO) has so far not detected any cases of coronavirus directly within its operations, but four of its employees and contractors have been diagnosed with the virus while they were away from work.
These individuals were immediately put on self-isolation at home where they remain.
"Mining is considered a critical business in Chile and although we are currently operating with a reduced workforce on-site in line with our preventative health measures, this has had a limited impact on production,” said Antofagasta chief executive Iván Arriagada.
“We are also working together with our communities to ensure their safety and have established a US$6mln community fund to help fight this virus. We have set up a task force which meets daily to constantly review our actions and are working with our communities and in line with government guidelines to deliver a coordinated approach."
To help prevent the spread of infection, the company’s operations are now operating with about half our workforce.
The company has also established a US$6mln fund to help the communities that live near the mining operations in the province of Choapa and in the Antofagasta region.