Coronavirus: China faces questions over its ‘vaccinated’ mine workers sent overseas to Papua New Guinea
- Flight with 150 mine workers blocked from arriving in Port Moresby as PNG authorities demand answers from Chinese ambassador
- Coronavirus clusters recently forced the closure of major mines in Pacific nation, including the Ok Tedi copper and gold mine
The China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) – which controls a major nickel mine in the country – warned local authorities that 48 staff who returned from China this month may test positive for the virus because they had received a vaccine.
In response, Papua New Guinea authorities called for “immediate clarification” from Beijing and blocked a charter flight full of Chinese workers that was due to land on Thursday.
The pandemic has disrupted operations at several lucrative mines in Papua New Guinea, one of the Pacific’s poorest nations.
While moving its staff into place, MMC’s subsidiary firm Ramu NiCo told Papua New Guinea authorities that any positive coronavirus test results were “the normal reaction of the vaccination and not due to infection”, according to a Chinese and English-language statement obtained by Agence France-Presse.
The 48 members of staff at its multibillion-dollar mine had “been vaccinated with Sars-CoV-2 vaccine” before their return, it said.