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GN confirms Covid-19 case at Mary River mine; risk to communities remains 'very low,' top doctor says

1311Operating mines 2
Baffinland's Mary River mine seen from the air. Public hearings took place this week and will continue at later date, the Nunavut Impact Review Board has decided. photo courtesy of Baffinland Iron Mines

A positive case of Covid-19 has been confirmed at Baffinland's Mary River mine, Dr. Michael Patterson, Nunavut’s chief public health officer, announced Wednesday afternoon.

The infected individual is showing no symptoms and is in isolation.

Mine staff are conducting contact tracing to determine who may have been exposed and those individuals are also being placed in isolation, although there's no evidence of virus transmission at the mine site at this time, according to the Department of Health.

Risk of the coronavirus spreading from the mine, 160 km south of Pond Inlet, to any of the surrounding communities remains "very low" because there are no Nunavummiut working there, the CPHO stated.

Covid-19 symptoms 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," the Department of Health stated in its news release.