15th Sep 2014 09:57
LONDON (Alliance News) - Sierra Rutile Ltd Monday said it will have to restrict operations during a planned three-day travel lockdown in Sierra Leone that the government is imposing to try and halt the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, although the company will try to optimise its operations in the run up to minimise the impact.
The minerals producer added that its export of products to customers won't be affected.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has now killed over 2,400, according to the World Health Organization, which Friday said more international medical workers are needed to fight the epidemic.
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are the countries at the centre of the epidemic, and the Sierra Leone government is planning a travel lockdown between Friday and Sunday to try and halt the further spread of the disease. It had previously said the lockdown would last for four days, but reduced it to three days.
In a statement, Sierra Rutile said it has confirmed with the government that the restriction period won't be extended beyond three days.
It said operations, which so far haven't seen any reported or suspected cases of Ebola, are expected to be restricted during the lockdown. Essential services such as the power plant and health clinic will continue to operate as normal, ensuring the safety of its employees is maintained and enabling the company to restart full operations immediately afterwards.
"Sierra Rutile will seek to optimise its operations and workforce during the time leading up to and after the restriction period to minimise, as best as possible, the overall impact on the business," it said.
Sierra Rutile shares were down 4.5% at 32.00 pence Monday morning, the stock's lowest level since December 2011.
By Steve McGrath; [email protected]; @stevemcgrath1
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