Seven COVID-19 cases confirmed at construction project in B.C. Interior

Seven workers at a construction site in B.C.’s Interior are in self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.

Mining giant Teck Resources Ltd. said Aug. 27 the seven workers — six from Alberta and one from Vancouver Island — have returned home and are displaying mild or no symptoms. All were employed by contractors working on a new water treatment plant adjacent to the company’s Fording River Operations near Elkford, B.C.

Provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, also confirmed the community outbreak in the province’s daily briefing.

As of Aug. 27, Teck said an addition dozen workers had tested negative for COVID-19 and results were pending for five others.

The seven workers to test positive worked a night shift between Aug. 4 and Aug. 18 at the water treatment project. Four were staying at an employee lodge in Elkford, while three had private accommodations, Teck noted. The company said none of the construction workers had interacted with employees at Teck’s adjacent mining operation.

“Teck is working closely with health authorities in British Columbia and Alberta to support efforts to mitigate the risk of any further transmission,” the company said in a release.

Last month, a positive case at the Site C dam work camp in northern B.C. forced more than a dozen workers into isolation. The case has since been resolved.