Sixty-eight officials of the Barapukuria Coal Mine, including the managing director, have tested positive for COVID-19.

Due to the situation, coal extraction has been suspended temporarily and some 500 Bangladeshi workers put on indefinite leave from Jan 27, said Managing Director Md Kamruzzaman Khan, reports bdnews24.com.

“Thirty-two Bangladeshi officials, including myself, and 36 Chinese officials and employees from our Chinese contractor have tested positive for the coronavirus,” he said. “The employees and officials at the mine were worried about the situation. For that reason, and to curb the spread of the disease, we have decided to temporarily suspend coal extraction work.”

However, the situation will not affect the power production of the Barapukuria Thermal Power Plant, he claimed.

“Our coal stock is sufficient to meet our demands for three to four months,” Kamruzzaman said.