Speaking of its mining operations, Vale says it has: "drastically reduced the number of operations, implemented screening in the ordinances with the use of thermographic cameras and the application of a daily health checklist, instituted the mandatory use of masks and reinforced the cleaning and disinfection of the areas, in addition to the adoption of rules of social distance in the environments and transport" . From the article.
The citizens of Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, and where Vale's headquarters are located, are rightly concerned. Vale is flying 80 seater passenger planes full of its employees, from Parauapebas, near the Carajas mines in southern Para state, to BH. Some of the passengers, it seems, may be infected. There have been cases of infected people being transfered from Para to BH, Minas Gerais, for treatment, according to the article.
By May 9th, when the article below was written, at least two Vale employees from Parauapebas had died. Are infected employees now being sent to BH hospitals for treatment? Minas Gerais and its capital, Belo Horizonte, have lower caseloads than Parauapebas, where the infections are continuing to escalate rapidly. The health system in Para state has already collapsed, according to the article.
Since the article was written, Parauapebas and nearby Maraba have both been placed in total lockdown.
It's hard to mine when you can't leave your home.
Parauapebas- touching the Amazon forest
VALE TRANSFERS TO BH EMPLOYEES FROM CITIES VERY AFFECTED BY COVID-19 IN PARÁ
Belo Horizonte (the capital of Mines Gerais) has received Vale employees who work in cities in Pará, the sixth Brazilian state with the most confirmed cases of coronavirus. In the last seven days, a plane from the mining company made the journey between the Carajás Airport and Belo Horizonte at least four times.
By means of a note (read in full at the end of the report), Vale pointed out that "some employees who work in Pará have joined the project of temporary transfer to their bases of origin, including Belo Horizonte".According to the company, "the measure allows employees to be closer to their families in the period of isolation".
The most recent flight arrived at Pampulha Airport just before 7 pm on Friday. It was not possible to confirm, however, if this is the plane that has taken workers from the mining company to Belo Horizonte.
The departure point for flights, Carajás Airport, is located in Parauapebas, in the southeast of Pará. Until this Friday, the city of 208.2 thousand inhabitants had already registered 29 deaths from coronavirus. The number is higher than the 25 deaths in Belo Horizonte, which has a population 12 times greater.
The urban region of Parauapebas is close to one of the largest mining areas in the world, where Vale explores iron and manganese. While part of the employees is in the home office and is transferred from the city, another portion continues to work in the mines. Parauapebas recorded at least two deaths of Vale employees in the last month. On April 10, a 42-year-old man who worked at the Serra Norte Beneficiation Plant, in the Carajás Complex, died in the city after contracting the coronavirus.
On the 19th of the same month, Antônio Pereira de Souza, 45, died of suspected COVID-19. The man was a mechanic and worked at Vale's Manganese Mine, in Parauapebas.
Vale's Carajas Railway- from the mines to the port.
Passenger transfer
This Friday, the mining company published a note in which it says it has intensified actions to prevent coronavirus in Pará. Questioned by the State of Minas about the criteria for choosing employees to be transferred, the mining company did not respond.
Also according to Vale, employees transferred to Belo Horizonte “go through a preventive quarantine period before continuing to work remotely”. The mining company did not say how many people it sent to the mining capital.
The plane that has made frequent trips between Pará and Minas Gerais is the Embraer E190 model, which originally has capacity for 80 passengers. However, as it is a private aircraft, the number of seats can be changed by the owner.
Some residents of BH used social media to demonstrate their fear that, among those arriving in the capital of Minas Gerais, there are people infected with the new coronavirus. Asked by EM if "employees who have the virus are also being transferred to be treated in Belo Horizonte", Vale did not respond objectively, but claimed that "it complies with all protocols required by the Ministry of Health".
Also according to Vale, employees transferred to Belo Horizonte “go through a preventive quarantine period before continuing to work remotely”. The mining company did not say how many people it sent to the mining capital.
Vale's S11D mine- near Parauapebas-part of the Carajas complex.
Some residents of BH used social media to demonstrate their fear that, among those arriving in the capital of Minas Gerais, there are people infected with the new coronavirus. Asked by EM if "employees who have the virus are also being transferred to be treated in Belo Horizonte", Vale did not respond objectively, but claimed that "it complies with all protocols required by the Ministry of Health".
In a note, the mining company says that, since March, "it has adopted the home office for employees, including those of risk groups". According to the text, the company “drastically reduced the number of operations, implemented screening in the ordinances using thermographic cameras and the application of a daily health checklist, instituted the mandatory use of masks and reinforced the cleaning and disinfection of the areas, in addition to the adoption of rules of social distance in environments and transport ”.
Until this Friday (8th May), Pará had registered 6,141 cases of COVID-19 and 515 deaths due to the disease. In the state, the health system has already collapsed, according to an assessment by the president of the National Health Confederation, Breno Monteiro, to the newspaper O Globo. The increase in the number of deaths is also linked to the funeral home alerts.
Faced with the rampant advance of the virus, Governor Helder Barbalho (MDB) decreed a lockdown (total blockade) in the capital Belém and nine other cities: Ananindeua, Marituba, Benevides, Santa Bárbara do Pará, Santa Izabel do Pará, Castanhal, Santo Antônio do Tauá , Nazaré and Breves Watch.
Governor Helder Barbalho, Para
This Friday, a joint note from the Public Ministry of Pará (MP / PA), the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) and the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) recommends that the state government also extend the lockdown to Parauapebas and Marabá. (since enacted)Situation in BH
In Belo Horizonte, the pandemic is more controlled. Until that Tuesday, less than 50% of the capital's beds exclusively for patients with coronavirus were occupied.
According to data released this Friday morning by the State Department of Health (SES), the capital of Minas Gerais had registered 926 cases of the disease, of which 25 evolved to death.
However, there is concern about the extremely low rate of testing in the capital, which masks the real proportion of the spread of the virus. Of the 36,030 suspected cases, only 7.6% (2,725) were diagnosed. Despite the testing problem, the technically low numbers of cases and deaths mean that local authorities intend to start the gradual reopening of trade on May 25, if the COVID-19 indicators remain at the current level. However, there is a concern with the possible proportionally greater advance of the cases until that date.
Mayor Alexandre Kalil (PSD) even considered postponing the easing of social isolation until the end of June “if employees do not stay at home and this situation increases”.
But it is not just an eventual growing internal demand for hospital care that worries the local administration. Kalil has already mentioned the migration of patients from other cities and states as a point of attention.
In an interview last Monday, the mayor revealed that four infected people were transferred from Pará to the Hospital Madre Teresa, in the Western Region of BH.
The Brazilian army, firefighters, and civil defense members sanitize a bus station on April 9, 2020, in Belo Horizonte
Kalil, however, did not detail whether the patients are connected to Vale.“They came to be treated. Of course we have to look at this if this wave continues. What we cannot do today is an omission of help. If there is place, you have to put them. If they came from Pará, if they came from Amazonas or if they came from Rio, they are human lives ”, he said.
The mayor also mentioned the demand from other cities in Minas Gerais for assistance in the capital. “I ask you to help the interior. I'm not here doing demagogy. By helping the interior, they will be protecting BH, ”he said.“I leave my message to the interior that
the situation is getting dangerous. BH is in no condition to endure the entire state in a situation of worsening of this pandemic ”, he added.
At first, the EM report sent the following questions to Vale:
1) How many employees were transferred to BH?
2) Which cities did they leave from?
3) Considering the members of the employees' families, how many people, in total, were transferred to BH?
4) Where are they staying in BH?
5) What is the criterion for choosing employees who are transferred?
6) Are cities other than BH also receiving employees? If so, which ones?
The mining company did not respond objectively and sent the following note:
Vale clarifies that some employees who work in Pará, in cities where Vale operates, have joined the temporary transfer project to their home base, including Belo Horizonte. The measure allows employees to be closer to their families in the isolation period, ensuring greater comfort and safety, in addition to a better support structure during the routine in the home office.
It is important to clarify that, before continuing to work remotely, they undergo a preventive quarantine period.
Vale reinforces that it is committed to taking care of the health and safety of its employees and that it complies with all protocols required by the Ministry of Health.
Another question asked by the report was:
Are Vale employees who have the virus also being transferred to be treated in Belo Horizonte?
Vale again did not respond objectively and sent the following position: Vale provides all medical and hospital assistance to its employees, providing telemedicine services and supporting eventual transfers to their cities of origin. Since March, the company has adopted the home office for employees, including those in risk groups.
It drastically reduced the number of operations, implemented screening in the ordinances with the use of thermographic cameras and the application of a daily health checklist, instituted the mandatory use of masks and reinforced the cleaning and disinfectionof the areas, in addition to the adoption of rules of social distance in the environments and transport. The company complies with all protocols required by the Ministry of Health. Vale reinforces its commitment to the safety of its employees and communities.(SOURCE: STATE OF MINAS) Translated from Portugese.
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