© Archyde.com / Ivan Alvarado
FILE PHOTO. Workers at the Escondida copper mine near Antofagasta, Chile
SANTIAGO, Jan 21 (Archyde.com) – The powerful union at Chile’s Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine controlled by BHP, on Friday expressed concern about a rise in COVID-19 infections among mine workers and accused of commit faults in the control of the sanitary situation.
This week, the mining company reported that there are currently 312 cases of the disease in direct and contracted personnel, and stated that those affected were in quarantine, but declined to offer details on the possible impact on its operations.
“We consider that the company has been erratic, dismissive and irresponsible in the responses it has given us, emphatically denying, on the afternoon of January 14, that there was an outbreak of COVID-19,” the union said in a statement.
“During all these days the workers have been exposed to the control and traceability deficiencies of the Escondida mining company, precisely because the company has eliminated and dangerously relaxed the protocols and control measures,” he added.
When reporting the active cases, the company insisted that it had applied rigorous measures in line with the requirements of the health authority and said that 90% of its workforce has the vaccination scheme against the virus.
Coronavirus infections have had a strong increase in recent days in the South American country, the world’s largest producer of copper, registering a record number of cases since the start of the pandemic.
However, the government has insisted that the high percentage of people vaccinated has allowed a reduction in cases with serious symptoms.
(Report by Fabián Andrés Cambero)