Positive Covid-19 case confirmed at Diavik

The Northwest Territories government has confirmed the presumptive positive Covid-19 case at the Diavik Diamond Mine.

The government said in a press release on Friday, that the worker is still in a designated self-isolation zone at the mine and continues to show no symptoms.

Thirty-five people at the mine were also isolated. Eight were later released following an investigation.

“The Chief Public Health Officer has carefully assessed the situation and determined that there is no additional risk to remaining workers and all possible exposures have been effectively isolated,” the press release states.

“Diavik employees are being kept up-to-date and additional precautions are being taken onsite to avoid any possible contact with those who are isolated.”

Because the worker is an Alberta resident, the positive case will be counted in Alberta’s Covid-19 numbers. The NWT’s total number of positive cases will remain at five.

The territorial government announced on Thursday that the worker had tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival at the diamond mine.

After receiving the initial results, the worker went into self-isolation and had limited contact on the way to the mine site. The test was sent to a laboratory in Alberta for validation.

“Contacts were minimized due to heightened precautions taken on charter flights to NWT mines – including direct charter flights from Edmonton to the mine site and mandatory mask use on airplanes and shuttle buses,” the government said.

The territorial government is cautioning that the possibility of Covid-19 cases in the NWT continues to grow.

“As the curve begins to inch upwards in other jurisdictions with some troubling new outbreaks, and as traffic grows with returning and new residents, workers, and students coming from areas with community transmission, the chance for reintroduction is also growing.”

It reminds residents to wash your hands frequently, stay home if you feel sick, keep two meters apart and wear a mask if you can not maintain physical distance.