Lundin Gold Inc. announced that the company is temporarily suspending operations at its Fruta del Norte gold mine in Ecuador amid growing concerns regarding the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
"The situation in Ecuador has changed rapidly over the last few days," said Ron Hochstein, Lundin Gold President and CEO. "We are committed to the health and safety of our employees and the local communities in which we operate. In consultation with both local officials and the Government of Ecuador, we have made the decision to temporarily suspend operations in order to reduce the risk to our workforce and to local communities."
During the suspension, the company will maintain a workforce at Fruta del Norte to conduct care and maintenance activities and special projects in order to minimise the impacts of this temporary shutdown As the situation is dynamic and dependent on actions by both the local and national governments, the company cannot currently indicate the duration of the temporary suspension on the company's operations nor its full impact.