Mining Magazine is making some of its most important coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic freely available to readers. For more coverage, please see our COVID-19 hub. To subscribe to Mining Magazine, click here.

The miner confirmed on March 30 that it was made aware of the positive tests "late last week" and that the stoppage of the double longwall mine would last two weeks.

"The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Mine Safety and Health Administration have been notified of the situation, and we are communicating with these agencies to ensure we take the requisite measures for the safety of our employees," officials said. It also noted it already put various precautions in place a few weeks ago to minimise worker risks.

While Bailey is closed, Consol will be attempting to determine if any other miner was exposed to the virus. It also will be performing a deep cleaning of its facilities.

Sister mines Enlow Fork and Harvey, along with the Greene County complex's central preparation plant, will continue to operate.

Consol did not indicate whether the idling would impact its initial guidance figures for the quarter or the year.