Hochschild shutters Peru mines as govt declares Covid-19 emergency

Hochschild Mining said it was temporarily shuttering two of its mines in Peru after the government declared a state of emergency to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Production at the Inmaculada and Pallancata mines would be suspended for 15 days from March 16. Hochschild said its San Jose mine in southern Argentina remained in operation.

The Peruvian operations would continue with a reduced workforce operating care and maintenance activities, Hochschild said.

Chief executive Ignacio Bustamante said the company had implemented a number of measures including actively monitoring the health of all personnel, cancelling international travel and introducing arrangements for employees to work from home.