'On the edge': Chile copper production at risk as coronavirus bites

  • 📰 Reuters
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 53 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 24%
  • Publisher: 97%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

Chile's vaunted copper industry is nearing a tipping point as coronavirus explodes across the South American nation, mine workers and analysts say, laying bare the hidden costs of policies that have until now salvaged its output of the red metal.

) have doubled down with skeleton crews in the world’s largest copper producer, churning out more amid the pandemic than the year before.

The Antofagasta region, where Calama is located, accounts for more than half of Chile’s mine production, according to state copper agency statistics. Juan Carlos Guajardo, head of Santiago-based consultancy Plusmining, told Reuters the industry was coming “dangerously close to the edge.” The outbreak has exploded in Chile, with cases surpassing those in Italy and cresting 275,000 this week. The pandemic has spread northward to cities like Antofagasta and Calama dedicated to servicing the northern desert region’s sprawling mines.

Codelco CEO Octavio Araneda said in an interview with local daily El Mercurio on Thursday that any further restrictions on mining would be “catastrophic” for Chile. He rejected allegations the company had fumbled the virus response. In a letter to Health Minister Enrique Paris late on Tuesday obtained by Reuters, community and social groups in mining hub Calama warned of an “avalanche” of cases and demanded miners undergo a “quarantine of 14 days, halting programs, operations and production.”

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 2. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

How Chile Ended Up With One Of The Highest COVID-19 RatesChile is a wealthy nation with a robust health care system. So how has the coronavirus spread so quickly there since May? The short answer, according to some experts: social inequity. When in doubt... Well it's nice to know it's not only 'white' majority countries that are racist. Seems like every non-communist country is riddled with systemic, institutional racism. Racism is everywhere and every single person is racist, except for the Chinese Russian and North Koreans
Source: NPR - 🏆 96. / 63 Read more »

Global Manufacturing Shows Fresh Signs of RecoveryFactory activity around the world showed further signs of recovery in June as governments eased restrictions designed to contain the coronavirus, but weak demand still weighed on production and employment. Especially coffin manufacturers How much counts on China? Today I’m tipping my hat to all the giants in the Negro Leagues, from Satchel Paige to Toni Stone and so many others.
Source: WSJ - 🏆 98. / 63 Read more »

'They just turn a blind eye': Amazon Air contractors face safety risks as new coronavirus outbreaks emergeEmployees at Worldwide Flight Services, an Amazon Air subcontractor, say they face an unsafe work environment during the pandemic.
Source: CNBC - 🏆 12. / 72 Read more »

Priest sues to stop federal execution over coronavirus riskA Zen Buddhist priest, who is a spiritual adviser to one of three federal death row inmates scheduled to be executed this month, filed a lawsuit Thursday arguing the Bureau of Prisons is putting him at risk for the coronavirus by moving forward with executions during a nationwide pandemic. Dale Hartkemeyer
Source: YahooNews - 🏆 380. / 59 Read more »

Asia Today: Kim urges North Koreans to keep up virus fightSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged officials to maintain alertness against the coronavirus, warning that complacency risked “unimaginable and irretrievable crisis,”... So even this guy gets it? Or did he?.... :-/
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »

Sweden's currency has strengthened — with no coronavirus lockdown — and the trend could continueSweden's currency, the krona, has strengthened against the euro in the last three months as risks surrounding the coronavirus have abounded on the continent. Sweden's just announced a quantitative easing program to help stop their economy from crashing though. US needs to open for business Trump is endangering the lives of Federal Employees every time he does not wear a mask. Every time he does not require Federal Employees to wear a mask. Every gathering where Federal Employees are exposed to people who do not wear masks.
Source: CNBC - 🏆 12. / 72 Read more »