Mining companies rush to shield indigenous communities from coronavirus

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Big mining companies that rely on indigenous workforces or operate near remote communities have acted fast to curb the spread of the coronavirus and avoid a public health crisis that could damage their reputations.

Heath Nelson of Fortescue Metals Group and Chris Schmid of Woollahra Group pose by goods, which are ready to be packed and delivered to help remote Aboriginal communities during the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Perth, Western Australia April 10, 2020. Fortescue/Handout via REUTERS

In Australia, mining companies are one of the biggest employers of Aboriginal people, who have an average life span nearly 10 years shorter than other Australians and can be at elevated risks of heart and kidney diseases and diabetes. Because of the risk to people with underlying health issues, Australian mining giant BHP made all employees over 65 work from home but lowered that to 50 for higher-risk employees such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders - and asked all its contractors to do the same.

In the Arctic Canadian territory of Nunavut, a predominately indigenous region mostly made up of Inuit, miners slowed their operations to limit the risk of an outbreak. A spokeswoman for the Australian-based miner said there were no confirmed cases of coronavirus at Las Bambas as yet. Paul Mitchell, global mining & metals leader at EY, said the safety culture instilled in mining companies had helped stop the coronavirus from spreading.

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mining companies, renowned supporters of indigenous peoples, rush to protect communities from Coronavirus by adding medicinal Benzene to local water supplies

really? REALLY?!

👏👏👏👏🙏♥️

Eh? Sure. If they were 'rushing' to do this, it would have been done at the start of the outbreak, and it would have been the indigenous communities that were praising them; not them praising themselves.

Obvious from the headline they’re not talking about the US.

hydroxychloroquine

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Aw, sweet monsters

I believe the figure of speech featured in this lede is called an 'oxymoron.'

white people pretending to undo some of the damage they are doing

What does that even mean ?

Plenty of bog rolls I see

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