THUNDER BAY – A third case of COVID-19 has been detected at the Musselwhite gold mine, but operator Newmont Canada says it’s not tied to two other cases detected in recent days.
All three people who tested positive are being quarantined and monitored at the fly-in mine, located about 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, the company said in a statement Tuesday.
Newmont is working with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit to trace close contacts, it said.
“We are undergoing exhaustive contact tracing to understand and communicate with other individuals who may have come in close contact with the confirmed individuals over the last 14 days,” said a company representative.
No one is permitted to leave or enter the site as that work progresses, the company announced Tuesday.
However, the mine is continuing to operate, with heightened COVID-19 protocols.
The company first confirmed two workers had tested positive at Musselwhite on Sunday evening, in response to an inquiry from Tbnewswatch.
The workers were initially presumed positive Friday after undergoing a rapid test administered by the company. Those results were confirmed Sunday by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit using diagnostic testing.
