Covid-19 Outbreak Interferes with Ekati Operations

RAPAPORT… Regional health authorities for Canada’s Northwest Territories have declared a coronavirus outbreak at the Ekati mine, sending operations temporarily into flux.

The Office of the Chief Public Health Officer (OCPHO) recommended workers at the mine enter quarantine after three positive cases were identified following regular testing, it said Monday. Regularly scheduled flights to the facility have also been postponed so further testing can take place, and crew changes have been delayed, according to Arctic Canadian Diamond Company (ACDC), the mine’s owner.

“All close contacts and affected individuals are feeling well and have been quarantined in the isolation wing of the camp,” ACDC noted.

In the past, outbreaks have been declared with as few as two Covid-19 cases. However, OCPHO only confirmed this outbreak after the third because it believed the first two caught the virus off-site, it said.

OCPHO is working with ACDC to monitor the situation, and will continue to perform testing on isolated employees, it said. The miner has not indicated if the outbreak would affect rough production.

Meanwhile, the OCPHO has noted one confirmed Covid-19 case at Diavik Diamond Mine, also located in the Northwest Territories, but it has not declared an outbreak at the deposit.

Image: Main camp at the Ekati mine. (Dominion Diamond Mines/Arctic Canadian Diamond Company)