GGDMA working with PAHO to establish new guidelines to operate in pandemic

While recognising concerns of vulnerable hinterland communities amid the coronavirus pandemic, President of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA), Andron Alphonso insisted that mining has to continue.
To this end, he disclosed that the mining sector is currently working along with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) to establish long-term protocols that will guide the industry’s operations with the aim of protecting both its members as well as vulnerable hinterland communities.

“We are working with PAHO to implement a set of protocols and guidelines that will direct the mining community, particularly the small and medium scale miners, on how they should operate in the interior and it will also address how we should operate if we have to venture through or near these types of communities,” Alphonso stated during a recent virtual press conference organised by the Private Sector Commission (PSC).
Among these protocols being developed is enhanced testing for miners heading into mining sites and for those already at those locations, the GGDMA President noted. He explained that the Association had started to put together something initially but recognised that medical expertise was needed to tackle this pandemic.
The mining official further revealed that the GGDMA is also in talks with the Public Health Ministry to potentially purchase testing kits not just for miners but also residents of these vulnerable mining communities. These efforts, he stated, are all a work in progress and so the Association is ready to work with these hinterland communities, where many of the management in the sector comes from.

“Every aspect of our operations you will find personnel from these villages so the future of mining and the ability of mining to continue to operate right now is also very important for the economic sustainability of those communities. We stand willing to work with these communities on bridging that gap that exists where communities feel that miners passing through the villages or nearby the villages are… not paying the necessary attention and giving the necessary support to the Toshaos and those communities. We stand willing to work with them to fix any concerns that arise or has risen,” Alphonso contended.
There have been calls by hinterland communities as well as human rights bodies for mining to be removed from the list of essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic amid raising fears that persons travelling from the coastland would transport the virus to their villages.
In fact, Health authorities have been concerned about the presence of the life-threatening disease in hinterland regions. It has been reported that Regions One (Barima-Waini) and Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) are beginning to see an increased trend of coronavirus cases with six and 10 per cent of positively confirmed cases respectively.
One day after Moruca, Region One, had its first case, a second person tested positive. By the eight day, there were nine cases and one death. In Region Seven, six more cases were reported within the first week, three more after six days and 12 days after, another five cases.
However, the GGDMA President has argued that while the mining community stands with these vulnerable communities, it has to be recognised also that miners have a right to ply their trade even during this time.
“Mining contributes, consistently for a number of years, over 10 per cent of Guyana’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product). We are also essential because we contribute consistently to over 55 per cent of the foreign currency earnings – without which there would be catastrophic consequences to the cost of living… We recognised concerns in communities but it needs to be recognised that mining has to continue,” Alphonso asserted.
It has been reported that there has been a slow down in operations of some of the larger mining companies during the pandemic, however, the GGDMA President noted that the small and medium scale miners are still holding their own and continue to provide liquidity to the economy as well as employment during this time when there is basically a standstill of the economy.