(File photo/Cameco)

By Glenn Hicks

covid-19

COVID testing program amid Cameco outbreak

May 25, 2021 | 5:02 PM

Cameco says it continues to operate safely amid a COVID-19 outbreak at its Cigar Lake site in the North. Over the weekend, nine people from the nearly 300 tested there returned a positive result for COVID-19.

The mining company said eight of those workers who tested positive were asymptomatic.

Cameco added, at the recommendation of health officials, they have revised their enhanced protocols to include the temporary closure of all common spaces at the Cigar Lake camp.

Cameco said after conversations with the Northern Population Health Unit, they had conducted a three-day site-wide COVID-19 testing program this weekend. After completing 294 tests of the workforce on site, 96.9% of the results were negative, it said in a media release.

On April 9, the company announced it planned to restart production at the Cigar Lake uranium mine the same month. Production was temporarily suspended in December 2020 due to increased risks from the pandemic.

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In recent weeks—between May 13 and May 18—Cameco announced a total of five people had tested positive for COVID-19 at Cigar Lake.

In an e-mail to paNOW Tuesday, a company spokesman said safety of workers remains their top priority.

Nine workers quarantined

The nine people who have been quarantined will stay on site in an isolation wing and will remain there until they receive clearance from the Northern Population Health Unit. Those workers will continue to receive full, regular salary the company said.

Among the many protocols Cameco has in place is rapid testing on all in-bound flight passengers at Cigar Lake this week. All passengers who arrived at Cigar Lake Tuesday morning were tested, and all tested negative. All common areas at camp (except the kitchen) have also been temporarily closed and tighter guidelines put in place around off-duty activities like fishing to ensure distancing requirements are maintained. The kitchen is the one common area at camp that remains open. The company has extensive protocols in place there, including physical distancing, staggered seating, plexiglass dividers, etc.

Cameco has other measures in place including licenced labs at Cigar Lake and Key Lake to conduct COVID-19 testing for all their northern sites. Voluntary rapid testing is now available to workers on-site.

The company spokesman said they are in constant communication with workers “to ensure they are fully up to speed on the latest developments around the pandemic and the outbreak at Cigar Lake, and that they understand the many safety measures in place at our sites and the need to follow them at all times.”

The company said it had not seen an increase in absenteeism from workers coming to site for their shifts over the last two weeks.

“Given the extensive and enhanced health and safety protocols in place at site, Cigar Lake continues to operate safely.”

Saskatchewan Health Authority told paNOW it could not provide any details of active investigations but that it was working closely with the business organization on management of the outbreak.

In an email, SHA said: As with all COVID-19 investigations, public health will contact all confirmed cases and close contacts to direct them regarding requirements for self-isolation, testing and more.

If all close contacts cannot be reached, a public service announcement (PSA) would be issued in order to advise the public of the potential exposure risk. It is important to note that a PSA has not been required for this investigation.

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glenn.hicks@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @princealbertnow