Last May 12, 2020, the Malacañang Palace has announced the new forms of quarantine measures in areas considered as low-risk for the coronavirus transmission. With the new measures to be imposed, a certain number of regions will no longer be placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine or General Community Quarantine (GCQ) from May 16, while Metro Manila has been placed under a Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine.
With this, The Mines and Geoscience Bureau has issued a guideline/protocol for the resumption of mining and mineral processing operations under GCQ or New Normal. This is in line with Section 3.6b of the Omnibus Guidelines for the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines, dated April 29, 2020, of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), which allows mining under GCQ.
The guidelines cover all measures to ensure the safety and health of the people who will return to the mining workforce during the pandemic. It is expected that all mining contractors/permittees/permit holders during the resumption of mining and mineral processing operations shall comply with the conditions provided for under the IATF-MEID guidelines.
By: Mineral Economics, Information and Publication Division