TIMMINS — A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at Kidd Operations.
Two employees at the Timmins mine have tested positive, according to the Porcupine Health Unit. One person lives in the health unit region and the other is from another health unit area.
"The investigation has determined that the cases are related. Both are in self-isolation," reads the news release.
"The PHU is working closely with the workplace to ensure the infection prevention and control measures are in place. The management team at Kidd Operations is taking all the necessary precautions to reduce the rise of infection and prevent the transmission of COVID-19."
Close contacts have been contacted by the health unit and are isolating at home.
This is the second outbreak at Glencore Kidd Operations in Timmins since the start of the pandemic. The first was in September and has since been declared over.
Today, one new COVID-19 case was reported in Timmins. The health unit did not indicate if it's the case associated with the outbreak.
There has been a spike in cases of the virus so far this year in the health unit region, with 30 new cases being announced since Jan. 1.
To date, there have been 160 confirmed cases of the virus in total since the start of the pandemic. There are 31 known active cases — 23 in Timmins, two in Fort Albany, four in the area of Kapuskasing, Opasatika, Val Rita-Harty, Moonbeam, and Fauquier-Strickland, and two out of region..
Of the total cases in the health unit, 90 have been in Timmins.
The Porcupine Health Unit COVID-19 information line can be reached at 705-267-1181 or 1-800-461-1818.
There are COVID-19 assessment centres in Timmins, Cochrane, Iroquois Falls, Kapuskasing, Smooth Rock Falls, Hearst, and Hornepayne.
