Activities in the resettlements, at the Sanitary Landfill, the Gomes Freire Square, and the Camargos Waterfall resume gradually
On Monday (15), the Renova Foundation gradually resumed civil works in the municipality after authorization from the Mariana Municipal Office. Activities in the resettlements of Bento Rodrigues, Paracatu de Baixo and the family resettlement modality start immediately with a reduced number of workers. So do the works at the Sanitary Landfill, Gomes Freire Square, and Camargos Waterfall.
In addition, the Renova Foundation resumes the construction of simple and complex structures on rural properties that participate in the Socioeconomic and Environmental Improvement Plan (Pasea) and starts the maintenance works of the stretch of access to the Paracatu de Baixo resettlement.
Since May 23, the Renova Foundation has done Covid-19 testing on 100% of its employees at work in the municipality, in line with the Mariana Municipal Health Department. Employee testing helps the municipality to map suspected cases in the region, making it possible to take preventive actions and to reduce underreporting. Workers who have tested positive and are asymptomatic are isolated and monitored during quarantine to check the development of symptoms and to provide support. Symptomatic patients are referred to the health system for treatment, isolation, and follow-up.
Moreover, the Foundation will test 15% of its staff every 20 days. It will create a permanent channel of information between the Renova Foundation and the Municipal Commission for Affairs related to Renova (Comar) to report suspected or confirmed Covid-19 cases. These initiatives are in line with the other actions adopted since March by the Renova Foundation, which follows the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health.
The resumption of works takes place in stages, with a reduced number of personnel to avoid large groups of people. In the Bento Rodrigues resettlement, 501 employees were mobilized for infrastructure activities, containment of lots and buildings. In Paracatu de Baixo, there are 280 employees working on reinforced earth containments, earthworks for access roads and lots, in addition to foundations. In the family resettlement modality, there are 65 employees at work in the acquisition of real estate, renovation, and construction of houses.
At the Sanitary Landfill, 61 employees are at work in essential services such as receiving and covering trash. For the Gomes Freire Square, located in the downtown area, an additional 20 workers are being mobilized for the following stages: infrastructure, drainage and sewage network, electrical piping to remove the pavement from the site. This, in addition to the 25 employees already deployed. In comparison, six workers are completing the removal of the soft soil and transportation of material for the recovery of the Camargos Waterfall.
Most of the employees mobilized for the works in Mariana are local professionals. Those from other regions have been quarantined as a precautionary measure. Employees belonging to risk groups will not be selected.
Among the control and safety measures adopted are also: daily measurement of employees’ temperature; alternation of meal times, use of disposable lunch boxes, social distancing in lines, at tables, and between chairs; easy access to alcohol hand sanitizer and locations for washing hands; mandatory use of masks and a minimum distance of 1.5 meters between workers; reduced occupancy on workers’ transport, ensuring more space between passengers.
Background
The Renova Foundation has taken preventive measures since the beginning of the pandemic. On March 23, the Renova Foundation voluntarily suspended the works in the resettlements. The other administrative areas have continued their activities, but working from home since March 16, the date on which offices were closed.
On May 5, in compliance with Municipal Decree 10.071/20, which instituted the Strategic Resumption Plan for activities in the municipality of Mariana, the Foundation presented and obtained the approval of its Resumption Action Plan by COMAR. The works were partially resumed, with a small number of workers to avoid large groups and excluding those considered to be at risk, with the adoption of preventive quarantine and the testing of those workers who had to be displaced from other locations, going beyond what is established by law. This measure allowed the identification of positive cases even before workers had access to the construction site.
Even with all due preventive measures, the works that were resumed on May 5 were once again suspended on May 21 for precautionary reasons by the Management Committee of the Covid-19 Health Prevention and Contingency Plan of the Mariana Municipal Office, which requested the testing of employees. The test results were reported to the municipal health authorities.
Timeline
- March 23 – The Renova Foundation voluntarily suspended activities as emergency prevention and safety measure in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, following Decree 10,030/20 of the Municipal Office of Mariana.
- April 1 – At the request of the Mariana Municipal Office, the Renova Foundation resumed the renovation and expansion works of the Children’s Psychosocial Care Center (CAPSij)), in compliance with an agreement signed in July 2019. The installation was delivered on May 15.
- April 28 – The Renova Foundation sent the municipality the Strategic Plan for Resumption of Civil Works Activities, approved by the Municipal Commission for Affairs related to the Renova Foundation (Comar), which authorized the resumption of works at the waterfall in the district of Camargos and at Gomes Freire Square, under the terms of the Decree and the Strategic Plan of the works.
- May 4 – The Renova Foundation sent the municipality the Strategic Plan for Resumption of Civil Works Activities, approved by the Municipal Commission for Affairs related to the Renova Foundation (Comar), which authorized the resumption of works in the resettlements of Bento Rodrigues, Paracatu de Baixo and in the family resettlement modality.
- May 5 – The Renova Foundation started the gradual resumption of the Bento Rodrigues and Paracatu de Baixo resettlement works and the family resettlement modality, in addition to improvement works at the Sanitary Landfill the waterfall in the district of Camargos.
- May 15 – The Health Department and the Sanitary Inspection carried out a verification of all protocols in force for the resettlements, and these were in accordance with the approved action plan.
- May 21 – Works are suspended as determined by the Mariana Municipal Office.
- May 23 – Commencement of testing of 100% of employees.
- June 1 – The Foundation presented a plan to the Management Committee of the Covid-19 Health Prevention and Contingency Plan to improve and expand the adopted measures.
- June 8 – Approval of the improvement plan by the Committee.
- June 15 – Resumption of works.