The NWT’s Ekati diamond mine has reported a presumptive case of Covid-19. The individual involved is said to be feeling well. They and close contacts are in isolation.
A spokesperson for the Arctic Canadian Diamond Company, which assumed control of Ekati after Dominion sold the mine earlier this year, on Wednesday confirmed the identification of a presumptive positive at the mine.
“Testing of outbound employees from the Ekati mine on April 6 has detected a single isolated presumptive case of Covid-19,” spokesperson Michelle McCullagh wrote by email.
“The individual is asymptomatic, feeling well and has been isolated within the quarantine wing established at the mine site. The mine is not closed down and is operational.”
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A presumptive positive ordinarily means one test has come back positive but the result of a second test to confirm the diagnosis is still awaited.
It’s not clear whether the employee involved is an NWT resident or a non-resident worker.
“Arctic is working closely with the Chief Public Health Officer of the Northwest Territories and is carefully monitoring the situation,” McCullagh said.
The news of a presumptive positive at Ekati follows the declaration of a Covid-19 outbreak at the neighbouring Diavik mine.
There is no suggestion the Diavik outbreak and the reported presumptive case at Ekati are connected. So far, two cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed at Diavik.
