Aurania Resources (TSXV: ARU) reported that, following the partial lifting of covid-related restrictions, its field teams are operational at the Lost Cities – Cutucu project in southeastern Ecuador.
In a media statement, the company’s chairman and CEO, Keith Barron, said that the reopening of the field is not yet 100% as a total lift depends on independent decisions taken by the mayors of the various cantons overlapping the Lost Cities concessions.
“At this moment, only 50% of our normal field personnel are permitted – in the open cantons – legally to work. In addition, social distancing practices must be in force. Ecuador still remains in the grip of the covid-19 pandemic, and the situation is somewhat volatile,” Barron said.
According to the executive, Aurania staff have implemented a comprehensive back-to-work protocol and are actively cooperating with the communities around the project area, the Governor of the Morona Santiago province, and the Ministry of Health.
The miner’s exploration teams re-entered the field in mid-June to start mapping and soil sampling on a number of priority targets for gold-silver, copper-gold and copper.
For its summer campaign, Aurania is also planning to run a heliborne Mobile MT survey as a means of identifying sulphides related to porphyries and epithermal gold-silver systems, as well as resistive zones that may represent silica-enriched areas linked with epithermals.