Agnico Eagle reports new COVID-19 case at its Meadowbank Complex in Nunavut

A new case of COVID-19 is being reported at Agnico Eagle's Meadowbank Complex, about 110 km north of Baker Lake, Nunavut.

The company said in a news release Wednesday that contact tracing has shown the new case is unrelated to the one that was reported at the same site on Aug. 27 or the case that was reported in Rankin Inlet on Sept. 3.

The company said the individual was first tested on Aug. 26 prior to arriving at the site. The result was negative but the employee was tested a second time five days later on Sept. 1, as per company policy. The employee tested presumptively positive at that time and was placed in isolation until evacuated from the site on Sept. 3. On Sept. 7, a second COVID-19 test confirmed the individual had the virus.

In its release, the company said 11 people were identified as potential contacts, "none of which are Nunavut residents." All were evacuated from the site and tested negative.

Agnico Eagle said all employees at Meadowbank were tested on Sept. 2 and 6, and that all results came back negative.

It added that due to its safety measures, "the risk of contamination is controlled and remains very low in the communities." The company currently has a no-contact protocol in place between its mine sites and nearby communities.

Agnico Eaglesaid it is working closely with Nunavut's office of the chief public health officer and said it has shut down all common areas at the mine "for extensive cleaning and disinfection."