"Based on the 9/10/2020 announcement is it fair to say assays from hole 51 and many others maybe at least 1-2 weeks away..the below would imply some assays at Santiago around now? Then how long?"
The normal process for us (and I presume most other gold mining companies in Chile) is to drill cores, the cores get driven to a centre with labs (which seems to be mostly the capital Santiago and the cores are crushed and tested there.
We have been told that, for whatever Covid related reason, they have been crushing the cores in country in Santiago but then shipping (which will be a two day max trip plus any port times)the crushed mineral samples to Peru. A lab there is currently doing our assays.
This as stated will be causing "minor delays". The minor delays are caused by the additional step of the shipping to Peru IMO. The results no doubt are emailed back from Peru, safe to say we don't wait for the ship to return or results to come by letter...
The way you have written your question it sounds like you think the delay is that the drive from El Zorro to Santiago has gotten longer time wise? I very much doubt this is the case. Even road transport in Australia which has maxed out on restrictions is still much the same turn around for the actual freight.
I think the only real delay is the inclusion of the Peru stage in operations. Whatever TSO state "minor delays" which in my mind can only be a week or two over what it used to take. So I would be expecting results anytime from now onwards inc hole 51. Its over a month since the visible gold core will have taken the day drive down to Santiago to be crushed. Crushing would be the quick part of the lab process as it a dumb stage. Sure you have to not mix the numbers up but other than that it will just be putting the cores in a bloody great crusher/grinder.
Anyway we wait and IMO next results have to be very close or it will be more than a minor delay.
Normal operations with total in country processing starting again at the end of this month according to the announcement so everyone will be happy about that.
