B2Gold reports covid-19 case at Mali exploration camp

Cecilia Jamasmie | April 16, 2020 | 8:53 am Exploration News Africa Gold

Mali quashed grant of B2Gold permit to upstart miner

Fekola is located near Mali’s border with Senegal. (Image courtesy of B2Gold presentation)

Canadian miner B2Gold (TSX:BTO)(NYSE: BTG) reported Thursday a case of covid-19 at its 80%-owned Fekola mine, in southwestern Mali, adding operations have not been impacted.

The Vancouver-based company has isolated the entire group in the exploration camp, where the infected employee was working. It has also completed contract-tracing for anyone the individual may have come into contact with on-site or within the community.

B2Gold is implementing a full isolation process for staff at the mine and facilities are being thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, it said.

The miner, which poured first gold at Fekola in late 2017, reported last week a quarterly record output of 164,011ounces from the mine, accounting for more than half of B2Gold’s record January-March output of 262,632 ounces.

Fekola is located near Mali’s border with Senegal, and about 520 km from the country’s capital, Bamako.