22nd Dec 2021 12:02
(Alliance News) - BlueRock Diamonds PLC on Wednesday said it has been forced to restrict operations at its Kareevlei mine in South Africa due to an outbreak of Covid-19.
Shares in BlueRock were down 16% at 25.14 pence on Wednesday in London following the announcement.
The Reading, England-based diamond producer said there have been 24 reported cases of Covid-19 amongst its Kareevlei workforce. As a result, half of its employees have not reported for work due to having had contact with affected employees.
Operations at the site have been restricted until January 3. No mining or crushing activities will take place, the company said.
BlueRock said it hopes the closure will act as a circuit breaker but cautioned that is was not possible to predict how the pandemic may continue to impact its workforce over the coming weeks.
Moving forward, BlueRock said, provided that the situation does not worsen, it intends to continue to process its stockpile of crushed ore during the closure period.
BlueRock said that the potential impact of restricting operations had been offset in the near-term to some degree by a private USD545,000 sale of diamonds.
Chair Mike Houston said the closure came at a very unwelcome time, as both lines are now operational and management had been focusing on ramping up production.
By Heather Rydings; [email protected]
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