Owners of Boulby Mine, near Whitby, act to safeguard China staff from coronavirus

ICL CEO Raviv Zoller during a visit to Boulby mine last year.

ICL President and CEO Raviv Zoller has informed all staff that ICL management is following the efforts to contain the outbreak of the virus very closely.

He said: “To support our employees, and make sure they remain safe, we are sending 10,000 face masks to our sites in China.

“In addition, ICL is donating 1,000 face masks and 200 protection suits to the local hospital in Kunming in order to help prevent the spread of the virus. All of us at ICL stand behind our colleagues in China and support them.

“Let us hope that everything will be back to normal as soon as possible.”

So far there are more than 17,000 confirmed cases of the virus in China.

Some 361 people have died in the mainland alone.

ICL Boulby operates a 200-hectare site located just south-east of Boulby, producing Polyhalite – a fertiliser which is marketed as Polysulphate.

Products using the mineral mined at Boulby are now helping to increase growth and yields across the world.