(IDEX Online) - The Mothae mine in Lesotho has been closed for a second time by coronavirus.The country is in a 14-day lockdown as it suffers an unprecedented spike in infections.The deposit, jointly operated by Australian miner Lucapa and the Lesotho government, closed last March, largely as a precaution.The pandemic had barely touched the tiny landlocked nation at the time, but earlier this month the number of daily cases leapt from zero to over 900.""Our priority is to ensure the health and safety of our valued teams on site. The suspension is expected to be temporary in nature as it is a mine operational health and safety decision, not a market limitation," said Stephen Weatherall, the company's managing director."Lucapa continues to engage with its financiers through this period as the diamond market continues its positive trajectory."Only days before the closure, on 13 January, Mothae achieved its highest ever average per-carat price - $1,198 - for a $5.6m parcel.
Pic, courtesy Lucapa, shows select D-color specials - weighing (from left) 14 carats, 19 carats, 101 carats and 28 carats