Over 80 workers at Trevali Mining's Santander mine test positive for COVID-19

(Reuters) - Copper miner Trevali Mining said on Friday that a total of 82 workers have tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, at its Santander mine in Peru, where operations have been suspended.

The company said late in June that 19 workers at the mine tested positive during routine testing, after which the mine's operations were suspended and 298 workers on the site underwent further testing.

"A total of 82 workers have tested positive for COVID-19 using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests", the company said in a statement on Friday.

It added that while three workers are presently displaying mild symptoms, all other workers are currently asymptomatic.

"Workers who have tested positive will remain in safe quarantine for up to two weeks", the company said.

"If symptoms develop, the affected workers will be transported to medical facilities for treatment."

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)