The Role of Digital Technologies that Could Be Applied for Prescreening in the Mining Industry During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The novel COVID-19 (coronavirus disease of 2019) pandemic has caused global havoc and impacted almost every aspect of human life and the global economy. The mining industry is not immune to such impacts. The pandemic has accelerated the need for digital transformation in the mining industry and in the era of the fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), there is further application of digital technologies in the early detection and prescreening of emerging infectious and viral diseases to keep mining areas and communities safer and less vulnerable. This paper aims to explore the application of smart digital technologies that could be applied for detection, prescreening and prevention of COVID-19 in the mining industry. The study will contribute, firstly, to demonstrate the utility and applications of digital technologies in the mining industry and, secondly, the development of a body of knowledge that can be consulted to prevent the spread of the disease in the mining industry.