EXECUTIVE Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams, said the EPA will be doing a site visit to the Guyana Manganese Inc (GMI) Matthews Ridge mines as part of the process for permitting resumption of operations.

On Saturday, Dr. Adams told the Guyana Chronicle that the site visit “is not to investigate the incident,” which has thus far led to the death of two Chinese workers and the hospitalisation of a number of persons after they were exposed to one of four tunnels at the mines in Matthews Ridge.

In Matthews Ridge on Saturday, residents attended a public meeting with the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Karen Campbell; the Regional Health Officer, Dr Vishal Ramjas, an EPA representative and other officials.

Based on information coming out of that meeting, the officials assured the residents that GMI’s operations will remain at a halt until there is approval by the Environmental Protection Agency.

They reiterated that only Chinese workers who worked in the tunnel became ill and samples have been taken from those hospitalised and sent to Trinidad and Tobago for further testing. The patients are reportedly responding to anti-biotic and anti-fungal medicines.

Last Wednesday, one of two men who were diagnosed with leptospirosis died, bringing the death toll to two. In a statement on Thursday following the death of the second miner, the Public Health Ministry said the second miner died while receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The first miner died at Matthews Ridge while undergoing treatment. On Saturday, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, while confirming that post-mortems were done on the two bodies, could not indicate what had caused the men’s death.

He said the second miner who was tested positive for leptospirosis remains in a critical condition.

Two weeks ago, while cleaning bat droppings from one of four tunnels at the mining site called “Rail Ends”, nine workers – eight Chinese and one Guyanese – started experiencing pain, fever, headaches and respiratory distress. To date, close to 20 employees of the company, most of them Chinese labourers, have been treated after being infected with an infectious disease.

The Public Health Ministry said the GPHC successfully treated and discharged two Chinese workers who were among several taken there.

The CMO in an earlier statement said all precautionary measures are still in place at the Matthews Ridge tunnel site and immediate surroundings and essential medical supplies are in stock to treat employees of the mining firm and residents of the area. Over 200 employees attached to GMI’s Matthews Ridge operations are being screened.

He added that since last week’s outbreak, the area has been deemed a ‘Red Zone’ by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and “no one is allowed to enter the site.” On Thursday, residents of Matthew’s Ridge told this newspaper that another group of miners were taken to the Pakera District Hospital for treatment. However, according to the ministry, Regional Health Officer (RHO) Dr Vishal Ramjas said Thursday that another GMI employee was admitted at the Pakera Hospital and is undergoing treatment for “a respiratory tract infection.” The patient is also in a stable condition, Dr Ramjas said.

Persons close to the company told this publication that four Guyanese miners were sent home by the manganese company after they had complained of experiencing similar symptoms as their colleagues.