There has been no spread of Covid-19 at the Diavik Diamond Mine after a worker from Alberta tested positive, staff with the NWT’s chief public health officer announced Tuesday.
According to a press release, the medical team at Diavik tested everyone who was in contact with the worker three times – on days five, eight, and eleven. All onsite tests came back negative and the results were confirmed by Alberta Precision Labs.
Thirty-five people at the mine were isolated after it was announced the worker had tested positive for Covid-19 on July 30. Eight of those people were released following an investigation.
Dr Kami Kandola, NWT’s chief public health officer, says everyone at the mine has now been released from self-isolation. The worker who tested positive has returned home to Alberta.
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“Because of rigorous controls, effective testing, and cooperation between Diavik and public health, we are confident in advising that there is no indication of any ongoing heightened risk as a result of this positive case,” the press release states.
The chief public health officer says community members are not at risk of Covid-19 from workers returning home from the mine and that workers are safe returning to work.
“The bottom line: there is no reason to be fearful, but there’s every reason to stay vigilant,” she said.
Public health will be in contact with other mines in the NWT “in the near future” to share lessons from the incident.
