Employees to remain at Lac des Iles mine for additional week, as operation goes into quarantine

Employees currently on site at the Lac des Iles mine, about 90 km northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont., will be held in quarantine on the site for another week.

The employee has been in self-isolation at home in Thunder Bay.

On the evening of April 9, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) put the mine and its associated camp into quarantine.

"With one confirmed case of COVID-19, the TBDHU determined that there is potential for the virus to be incubating within individuals on site," said Erin Satterthwaite, the vice president of corporate affairs and communications with Impala Canada, the mine's owner.

"It is now our job to contain the potential spread of this virus and protect our families and our communities.  We are taking this very seriously and are working in close collaboration with public health."

"We will use this quarantine period to ramp down our operation to a state of care and maintenance.  The length of time we remain on care and maintenance will be determined and communicated in the coming days."

The company said the TBDHU has said it is taking extraordinary precautions to keep its employees safe.

"Together with the TBDHU, it is our hope that this incubation will pass so that we can say with confidence to each of our employees - you are safe to go home to your loved ones."