Lac des Iles mine outbreak now has 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19

Impala Canada confirms 11 of its employees have now tested positive for COVID-19.

Four new cases related to the operation were announced on Thursday; three by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU),and one in the northeast in the Timiskaming District.

The company said two of the 11 positive cases were still on site at the mine and were under the care of medical professionals.

More testing was underway for employees who were showing symptoms of COVID-19, and contact tracing was being carried out by public health.

Quarantine in Thunder Bay

Management and staff of the LDI operation, who were not subject to quarantine, along with security personnel and public health inspectors from the TBDHU, are at the hotel 24/7, the company said, to ensure all protocols from public health are followed.

Quarantined employees are not permitted to leave the site, Impala Canada said, and no mine employees have left the site.

However, two contract staff had been moved from the hotel after being, "verbally inappropriate to hotel staff." Those staff are in self-isolatonat another location, the company said.