Even with favourable markets, large scale mining of minerals here has suffered major setbacks due mainly to health restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and this has left hundreds without work.
However, some companies have adjusted their work schedules and have kept most of their employees on and continue to pay their wages and salaries as per normal.
“What we found out was that once COVID started, the [expatriates] from the large scale companies left Guyana and even those Guyanese who had dual citizenship left because they felt overseas they would have had access to better medical care.
That was immediate and the impact felt was immediate,” Technical Officer for Mining in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Euliene Watson told Sunday Stabroek in an interview.
