Two employees at Baffinland’s Mary River Mine who were suspected to have contracted Covid-19 have been confirmed negative after testing was done at a laboratory in southern Canada, Nunavut’s chief public health officer announced on Wednesday afternoon.
photo courtesy of Baffinland Iron Mines
“The office of the CPHO is working with the mine to ensure the test cases and their contacts complete an appropriate isolation period as a precautionary measure. At this point, neither the test cases nor the contacts have developed symptoms that are consistent with Covid-19 and there is no evidence of transmission at the mine site,” stated Dr. Michael Patterson. “Nunavut remains at no confirmed or probable cases of Covid-19.”
These two cases mark the third and fourth time that presumptive cases of Covid-19 have proven negative in the territory. The previous one was also based at the Mary River Mine. The one before that was a Pond Inlet resident.
Anyone who has reason to believe they have been exposed to Covid-19 is advised to contact the Covid-hotline at 1-888-975-8601 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., or notify their community health centre right away. Immediate isolation at home for 14 days is essential.
Symptoms of Covid-19 include a fever, cough or difficulty breathing. The best protection from spreading or catching the disease is physical distancing, handwashing for at least 20 seconds, coughing and sneezing into an elbow and staying home as much as possible, according to the Department of Health.