Even just a few weeks ago, our reporting around the coronavirus subject was, one might say, naïve at best. We are now starting to wake up to the harsh reality of the virus' impact on people - and industry. It has caused the lockdown of mining operations, regions and even whole countries.

It has also done the previously unthinkable and overshadowed the topic of tailings dam management, as most companies are now rushing to find ways to protect their employees and operations from a pandemic - and rightly so.

Nonetheless, the catastrophic tailings dam failures of recent years haven't been swept under the carpet, and once mining returns to business as usual (if there is such a thing in the foreseeable future), the industry will continue to produce millions of tonnes of tailings each year.

As such, Mining Magazine is bringing you an update on the different ways tailings storage facilities can be made safer and how mining companies can best manage their existing dams.

The Global Tailings Standard, which was expected to be published this quarter, has also fallen victim to the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus; it has now been delayed, without a new publication date in sight.

To keep our readers up to date on this and similar stories, we're currently running a dedicated COVID-19 hub on our website, with the most important coverage freely available to readers.

The miningmagazine.com news service, which continues to provide comprehensive reporting on all operational aspects of mining, can be consumed via smartphones, tablets, personal computers and other devices. It is also read by many subscribers in magazine form.

However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak and related containment measures also affecting transport and logistics channels, we are now facing delays in delivering information in print form.

To make sure we continue to provide the most up-to-date information to all readers, our subscribers will be notified by email on how to access our new eMagazine copy of the magazine. So, keep an eye out for that.

Also, from our next issue onwards, Mining Magazine will be helmed by a new editor. As I make my exit and start covering a slightly different beat, I leave you in the capable hands of Andre Lamberti, whose prior post was as industry editor for metals and mining at S&P Global.