[Excerpt translation from Spanish to English provided by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

“More than 200 mine workers have coronavirus in Peru" April 26, 2020

There are 238 reported cases of COVID-19 in mining camps, although the number could be higher because the national authorities and the mining sector are completely unaware of the issue. One of the mining companies with the highest production of zinc in Peru: Antamina, has 200 workers with coronavirus, who have been taken to Lima to be treated. On April 14, the mining company announced the temporary suspension of its activities and to date has not given figures on the number of positive cases with COVID-19. Another mine that is in a state of alert due to the possible spread of the pandemic is Toromocho... [where] the Chinese company Chinalco, informed its workers - through a communiqué - that they had a positive case, the next day the Unified Union of Minera Chinalco denounced that there are 33 workers with coronavirus... The workers of the Shougang Hierro Peru Mining Workers' Union were the first to denounce to the Ministry of Energy and Mines that the Chinese transnational Shougang, located in Marcona (Ica), was continuing to operate with total normality...putting the health of the workers, families and the population of Marcona at risk...The first case of COVID-19 in the sector was recorded in Cerro Verde (Arequipa) on March 25, the next day another case of coronavirus was confirmed in Tinka Resources and Buenaventura (Pasco). The third case occurred on March 31, a worker at Antamina (Ancash) tested positive, which put all the mine's personnel on alert; almost a month after this event, Ministry of Health sources confirm that the mine currently has 200 confirmed cases of coronavirus... [Refers to Nexa Resources and Shouxin].