Four new cases of COVID-19 have been reported at Gahcho Kué, bringing the mine’s total number of cases to 10.
Three of the newly-diagnosed individuals are NWT residents and the other individual is an out-of-territory worker.
“Because of unknown transmission chains, the CPHO determined that every worker at the mine site is a contact to COVID-19,” Dr. Kami Kandola, NWT’s Chief Public Health Officer, said in a statement.
None of the workers were infectious during travel. There is no identified risk to NWT communities related to the outbreak, according to the CPHO.
The mine working with public health on the relocation of NWT resident workers away from the mine site for self-isolation and is working on returning out-of-territory workers to their home provinces.
An outbreak was declared at the mine February 3, with operations being paused since February 6. All employees not needed for care and maintenance of the mine site were sent home, leaving around 110 employees working at the mine. Most of those are NWT residents.
These three cases mean there are six active COVID-19 cases in the territory who are NWT residents, and four cases who aren’t NWT residents — rotational workers at Gahcho Kué.
This brings the territory’s total number of COVID-19 cases to 42.
