SCHREIBER, Ont. – A public health investigation is ongoing after two staff with Canadian Pacific who work on the railway east of the Schreiber and Terrace Bay area tested positive for COVID-19.
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit declared an outbreak among CP staff in the area Friday, the second time it’s done so this month.
The two infected workers are in isolation, the health unit said.
The agency is working with company management and the Algoma and Sudbury health units to identify close contacts. All of those identified so far are also self-isolating, it said.
“We are working with Canadian Pacific management to implement enhanced COVID-19 prevention measures to control the outbreak,” the health unit said.
The TBDHU previously declared an outbreak among CP staff in Thunder Bay and Schreiber on April 1, which was declared over on April 14, said a CP representative.
Neither the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, CP, nor the Teamsters Union disclosed how many workers were affected at that time. A person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly told TBNewswatch at least half a dozen staff were initially involved.
A source said at the time that train crews working in close proximity had not been wearing face masks consistently prior to that outbreak, as rules were not enforced.
A company spokesperson said the company had stringent measures in place, including mandatory masking in common areas and whenever physical distancing couldn’t be maintained.
Note: An earlier version of this article stated the previous outbreak involving CP Rail workers in Thunder Bay and Schreiber was declared April 12. In fact, it was declared April 1 and resolved April 14. TBNewswatch apologizes for the error.
