Glencore Hail Creek coking coal mine workers tested for coronavirus

Miner Glencore said Friday that two employees at its Hail Creek coking coal mine in Queensland were being tested for coronavirus, and local response plans had been activated.

The affected employees are being isolated as a precautionary measure in line with Australian government health requirements, the Switzerland-based company said in a statement.

Glencore's global operations have related contingency plans supported by expert external medical advice and guidance from local authorities, it said.

"We have activated local response plans in accordance with our company protocols and ongoing advice from Federal and Queensland Government Health authorities," Glencore said.

Glencore did not provide details around any effect to operations and production volumes at Hail Creek as a result of the ongoing response.

Glencore produced 9.2 million mt of hard coking coal in 2019 across several Australian mines including Hail Creek and Oaky North.

Group coking coal production rose from 7.5 million mt in 2018, which reflected the contribution of Hail Creek, after the mine was acquired from Rio Tinto effective August 2018.

COVID-19 is a new coronavirus disease that first emerged at the end of 2019 and has since spread worldwide. It can cause severe acute respiratory syndrome.