It returns! Our occasional series is back, as we try to make sense of the gobbledygook, flotsam and jetsam regularly spewed by mining companies into their news releases. Today we catch up with that old IKN friend, The Clive and B2Gold (BTG) (BTO.to) as they “care for stakeholders”.
This is what they wrote:
This is what they wrote:
VANCOUVER, March 18, 2020 /CNW/ – B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO, NYSE AMERICAN: BTG, NSX: B2G) (“B2Gold” or the “Company”) has
been monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak and the potential impact at
B2Gold’s operations since mid-February and, as such, has put measures
in place and introduced additional precautionary steps to manage and
respond to the risks associated with COVID-19 to ensure the safety of
our employees and surrounding communities where we work while continuing
to operate.
All B2Gold corporate personnel travel has been restricted to absolute
minimum requirements and employees in the corporate offices have been
encouraged to work remotely. At each of our mines in Mali, Namibia and the Philippines, and at our development project in Colombia,
we have implemented several control measures for dealing with the
outbreak of COVID-19. These include pre-screening for symptoms and
travel history with possible COVID-19 exposure of any employees,
visitors and contractors (site personnel) prior to any travel to or from
a site and isolation, where necessary, from the general site
population. Each site has implemented restrictions and isolation
procedures that are particular to each region’s situation and response
capabilities. Procedures continue to evolve according to the World
Health Organization and Center for Disease Control guidelines as more
becomes known about the virus. The Company is regularly monitoring the
situation and following local and national health authority requirements
and recommendations. A critical care specialist has been consulting the
Company on the guidelines and global implementation.
To date, B2Gold has not experienced any incidents related to COVID-19
at its sites or corporate offices and continues to operate all mine
facilities and is proceeding with its projects as previously planned.
The mill expansion and solar facility projects at the Fekola Mine in Mali are still projected for completion in the third quarter of 2020, the Gramalote Project in Colombia
continues to drill off the Inferred Mineral Resource and progress its
feasibility study, and development of the underground mine at Otjikoto
in Namibia is moving forward. The
Company does not expect material delays in the current schedules, but
will continue to monitor the situation, seek advice from specialists
where required and adjust plans, if necessary, to adapt to the
ever-changing landscape.
B2Gold continues to engage with local stakeholders to prevent the
virus from entering the communities around our operations. Education
programs are being put into place to protect the communities by
promoting hygienic practices and limit social interactions in an effort
to prevent the spread of the virus.
About B2Gold Corp.
And this is what it means:
We’ll keep making them work until a couple of them die, then we’ll see.