A Covid-19 outbreak has been declared at the Gahcho Kué diamond mine after a second out-of-territory worker has tested positive.
On Monday, the NWT government announced a non-resident worker at the mine had tested positive for Covid-19. They said that worker was isolating, as were 11 other mine employees who had contact with them.
On Wednesday morning, the territory said a second non-resident worker – one of those in isolation – had also tested positive.
Public health officials said in an advisory there was a “high probability” that transmission of Covid-19 had occurred at the mine.
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The advisory stated both patients are doing well and were not infectious during travel to the mine.
The territory said it had identified no risk to NWT communities related to the cases.
The NWT government said it declares an outbreak at a closed facility – like a mine – when one or more cases of Covid-19 are believed to have been acquired within the facility.
The outbreak at the mine is unrelated to another outbreak at a construction camp for a winter road to Gahcho Kué.
