Vale confirmed this afternoon that an outbreak was declared at Coleman Mine in Levack this past weekend.
Public Health Sudbury & Districts did not issue a notice that the outbreak had been declared, but Vale spokesperson Danica Pagnutti said the declaration was made on March 27.
“On March 27, an assessment by Public Health Sudbury and Districts confirmed that one instance of workplace transmission had occurred and declared an outbreak at Coleman mine,” Pagnutti said in an email. “We have taken every effort to contain this outbreak and have completed all contact tracing.”
Pagnutti has not confirmed how many people are impacted, but according to a media report quoting USW Local 6500 Vice-President Kevin Boyd, 16 cases have been confirmed. PHSD has not provided any information regarding the outbreak to media or on its website.
“Any individuals who were potentially exposed have been engaged by NEOMO medical for testing and are self-isolating,” Pagnutti said.
She said Vale already has measures in place to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19, including screening, physical distancing, COVID-19 testing through NEOMO, contact tracing and isolation. The outbreak has prompted the company to take further steps, Pagnutti said.
“We have taken further steps to minimize risk. Over the past week we have introduced voluntary testing at Coleman mine site and will be extending this safety measure to our other mine sites in Sudbury in the coming days.”
This story will be updated as new information becomes available.
