A number of Vancouver mining firms are shutting down production to comply with a Mexican presidential decree to shut down all non-essential activities for the next five days to combat the H1N1 swine flu virus.
Capstone Mining Corp. (TSX:CS), which operates the Cozamin polymetallic mining project near Zacatecas City, will shut down production from May 1 to May 5.
Vancouver's New Gold Inc (TSX:NGD), which operates the Cerro San Pedro open pit gold and silver mine near San Luis Potosi, will also shut down production for the next five days.
Vancouver-headquartered Endeavour Silver Corp. (TSX:EDR) is also stopping work at two of its Mexican operations.
The shutdown affects hundreds of employees. New Gold's Cerro San Pedro mine employs 344 salaried and hourly workers and contractors, according to its latest annual information form. Capstone employed 887 people as of December 31, 2008. Endeavour employs 675 people.
Each of the companies said the shutdown would not materially affect their 2009 production forecasts because any loss will be regained when operations resume.
Capstone will continue to provide limited supervision at its mine, which is scheduled to restart on May 6.
Each company is complying with the decree even though no cases of the H1N1 virus have been found at their mines or in communities serving their projects.
Mexico's government instituted a countrywide suspension of government and private business operations as the number of confirmed swine flu cases jumped in the country on Friday. The death toll in Mexico has risen to 160, and the number of people contracting the flue around the world continues to increase.
On Friday morning, the World Health Organization reported that 365 cases had been found in 13 countries, including Canada, which has 51, 15 of them in B.C.