Nunavut's Meliadine gold mine reports another presumptive positive case of COVID-19

Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. says another worker at its Meliadine gold mine in Nunavut has a presumptive positive case ofCOVID-19.

In a news release, the company says the worker was tested on Wednesday before flying to the mine site from Quebec. The test result came back positive, though the person had shown no symptoms.

The company says thatworker was flown out from the mine site later on Wednesday. The presumptive case will be confirmed by follow-up testing in the worker's home province.

Other workers on Wednesday'sflight to Meliadinewere placed in "strict isolation" as soon as they arrived there, the news releasesays.

Contact tracing identified 17 people who may have been in contact with the person who tested positive, and those people were flown out on a special charter flight on Thursday. Those workers have been told to follow recommendations from their provincial health authority, and will be tested before returning to the mine site, Agnico Eagle says.

The company says the risk of transmission to the nearby community of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, is considered "very low."

Earlier this week, two other workers at Meliadine were confirmed positive for COVID-19. Those workers were also flown out and told to follow the recommendations of their provincial health authority.