Impala Canada reports four more cases of COVID-19 among its workforce at the Lac des Iles Mine (LDI) in northwestern Ontario, bringing the total number of positive cases in connection to the site to 11.
The palladium mining company was informed on April 16 of these positive tests. Three were confirmed by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) and one by the health unit in the Timiskaming region.
Two of these individuals remain under medical care at the site, 90 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay.
The company said extensive close contact tracing and outreach continues by public health authorities.
Impala registered its first case on April 7.
The number of positive cases could grow as additional testing is being conducting with mine workers showing COVID-like symptoms. But the company also reports that a “number of LDI team members have tested negative.”
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Lac Des Iles' workforce was evacuated on April 13 under the supervision of local health unit officials. A skeleton crew remains behind to monitor essential functions on the property.
Most of the workforce are either in self-isolation in home until April 27 or are domiciled at a designated hotel in Thunder Bay.
The local health unit determined which individuals were sent to the hotel based on their individual home circumstances and their ability to self-isolate.
Some from the Thunder Bay area are not able to self-isolate at home, or come from different parts of Ontario and Canada and were advised not to travel.
“Despite our best efforts with the pandemic response protocols implemented at LDI, which were scrutinized twice and deemed best practice by the TBDHU, the coronavirus has spread amongst some of our team,” Impala said in a statement.
“The growing number of cases reinforces how fierce this virus is. We continue to fight it together as a team. In everything we are doing right now – whether at home, on site or at the hotel - we are putting health and safety first."
At the designated hotel, Impala management, staff and security have set up a temporary office “to provide support to those under self-isolation.”
The management team is not under self-isolation but is following pandemic response protocols, as directed by the health unit, which has inspectors on the premises.
“We are all working together to support the individuals in self-isolation and ensure they understand the seriousness of the situation. And, most importantly, to ensure the self-isolated individuals comply with all the pandemic response protocols that are in place," the company said.
Impala said no self-isolating worker has left the property, with measures in place to ensure everyone obeys health and safety protocols, including having security personnel patrolling inside and outside the building.
There’s a “strict no-nonsense policy” at the hotel when it comes complying with protocols, including demonstrating proper behavior.
Two individuals that didn’t comply with the safety protocols were removed from the hotel, under direction of the local health unit, and are completing their self-isolation elsewhere. They were identified only as working for contractors at the mine site. These individuals were “verbally inappropriate to hotel staff.”
Impala notes that this hotel is remains open to other guests and organizations not connected to Impala.
“We are not accountable for the movements and actions of these individuals and groups.”
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