A ZAR10 million COVID-testing laboratory has been unveiled at a diamond mine in Limpopo, South Africa.

The facility at De Beer’s Venetia mine will be used to test employees and contractors for COVID-19. It is expected to analyse at least 80 tests a day with a 24-hour turnout time for results, as reported by Engineering News.

The lab will be operated by two technicians and is fully equipped with the machines required to increase testing capacity and analyse test samples, speeding up diagnoses.

‘As a business, our first and most important value is to put safety first,’ says Mpumi Zikalala MD of managed operations at De Beers Group. ‘We value the health and safety of our people above all else and are equally committed to delivering support to our host communities throughout this difficult period.’

De Beers is also in discussion with the provincial health department to collaborate on screening efforts and extend testing to the mine’s surrounding communities and labour-sending areas, including Musina.

7 July 2020
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