Business cycles are not new for the mining industry. Mining is an inelastic supply-and-demand economic sector that is usually familiar with the volatility of the markets. Mining has a strong culture of safety and health awareness and disaster preparedness. The year 2020, however, was an unprecedented downswing in all economic activities, including mining operations due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Market capitalization lost more than one-third of its value in a few weeks and shadows of a great depression appeared on the horizon during the course of the global pandemic. Major mining companies in Nevada (some of which also have operations outside of Nevada), equipment/software suppliers and contractors have been interviewed to share their experiences and lessons learned during the past 10 months.
