Cigar Lake uranium mine idled as Covid-19 risks increase

Canadian uranium major Cameco on Monday announced that it would temporarily suspend production at its Cigar Lake uranium mine over the coming weeks, citing increased risks posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

With Covid-19 cases rising in Saskatchewan, the company is having difficulty in accessing qualified operational personnel to operate Cigar Lake.

“One of the most challenging trends we’ve had to navigate is the shrinking availability of workers in critical roles at Cigar Lake due to self-isolations, absenteeism and communities being on temporary pause for transporting workers due to the pandemic,” explained CEO Tim Gitzel