Dominion Diamond Mines announced yesterday that it was suspending operations at its Ekati Diamond Mine in NWT, Canada to safeguard its employees and the communities surrounding it, while Rio Tinto said that the Diavik Diamond Mine was continuing to work at capacity, albeit with enhanced precautions in place.

Dominion said that till date none of the employees at Ekati have tested positive for the Coronavirus, but this preventative action was determined to be a necessary step given the rapid spread of the virus, the remote location of the Ekati mine’s operations and the high frequency of air travel required for employees and support staff to access mining operations.

The company said it has long been committed to the health, safety and well-being of its employees and to establishing strong, lasting and respectful relationships with the people and communities with whom it works.

As a result of this decision only a minimal care and maintenance crew will stay on with Dominion to maintain the Ekati mine during this interim period, the company announced.

It added that there is currently no timeline established for this period of suspended operations.

Meanwhile, media reports quoting spokespersons for Diavik and Rio Tinto (which holds the larger stake and is operating partner for the project in association with Dominion) said that the Diavik Diamond Mine continued to operate at full capacity.

As a precaution, the reports stated, employees have been asked not to go to work if they feel unwell or believe they had been exposed to COVID-19. Those returning to work following international travel have been advised to notify their manager and work from home for 14 days.

The company was also quoted as saying that it has cancelled all non-business-critical travel to the mine and has introduced health screenings to reduce the possibility of COVID-19 transmission.

Last week, many of the diamond miners in Africa, including De Beers, Gem Diamonds and others, also said that operations were continuing at normal capacity, but with adequate screening and other health and safety precautions mandated by authorities.