THUNDER BAY - The Thunder Bay District Health Unit is expediting testing workers at the Lac Des Iles mine who may have contracted COVID-19. The mine was placed under quarantine by the health unit earlier this week after an employee tested positive for the virus.
In a statement on social media Saturday, the health unit said individuals on the mine site who are experiencing symptoms would be tested over the weekend. Those considered close contacts of the confirmed case are in isolation at home and will also be tested. That likely includes five co-workers who worked on the same crew as the infected individual.
Employees at the mine, owned by Impala Canada, have been ordered not to leave until April 18, 14 days after the employee who tested positive was last on site. A spokesperson for the company said that employee had passed all screening protocols in place at the mine before being allowed on site.
"Actions to limit the spread of the virus between individuals are being reinforced at the mine site, including appropriate isolation of individuals who have symptoms," the health unit said Saturday.
Impala Canada has said it is using the quarantine period to ramp down operations to "a state of care and maintenance."
The company has not yet revealed whether it plans to ramp back up operations after the quarantine, but said it will release that information "in the coming days."
