The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) has set the guidelines for the resumption of mining operations in the Philippines during the general community quarantine (GCQ) period through the issuance of memorandum 004.
This is in line with the country’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases’s (IATF-MEID) Omnibus Guidelines for the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines, which allows the mining sector to operate under GCQ.
“Guidelines cover all measures to ensure the safety and health of the people who will return to the mining workforce during the pandemic,” MGB was quoted in a report.
Meanwhile, cargo vessels must observe a 14-day quarantine from their departure at the last port of call.
Quarantine clearance will be coming from the Quarantine Medical Officer.
Miners are also expected to provide shipment report information such as crew list, port of origin, and COVID-19 test results of the crew, adding to that the submission of shipment monitoring/draft survey reports including necessary shipment documents.
MGB also directed mining companies to provide medical equipment and supplies such as thermal scanners, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), masks and gloves and sanitizers and disinfectants to their employees.
