COVID-19 cases at Hudbay’s Flin Flon operations are beginning to slow down.
After reporting 14 cases in Flin Flon and another two in Snow Lake earlier this month, the company now says the number of people within its operations with active cases of the disease have slowed down and are now declining.
“We are pleased to see that our caseload is heading in the right direction and can confirm the number of positive COVID-19 cases at our Manitoba operations have declined to 11 as of May 31,” reads a statement to The Reminder from a Hudbay spokesperson.
“We wish all impacted a quick recovery and are encouraged that the majority of earlier cases have now safely recovered and are returning to work.”
Hudbay and the spokesperson did not confirm where in the company’s Flin Flon operations the brunt of cases have been found, when the cases were found or how many people have tested positive since May 24. Earlier this month, the company did confirm that, as of May 24, 16 people had tested positive for COVID-19 throughout Hudbay’s Manitoba operations, including 14 cases in Flin Flon. Several other employees were sent home to self-isolate after possible COVID-19 exposures.
Since the pandemic began, at least 44 Hudbay employees in northern Manitoba have tested positive for COVID-19. Hudbay reported its first COVID-19 case in its Manitoba operations in October 2020, when two employees in Snow Lake tested positive for the disease. At the time, Hudbay confirmed that both of those cases were reported in Snow Lake residents.
In November, at least one worker in Snow Lake - staying at the company’s Outland camp - and five Flin Flon-area workers tested positive for COVID-19. Another 20 cases were reported in Flin Flon and Snow Lake combined between April 7-30, including several cases in Snow Lake - at one point, so many workers were in isolation that Hudbay’s Stall mill was closed temporarily due to a lack of staff.
“We continue to work closely with public health to actively monitor the situation, assisting them in their investigations and supporting contact tracing efforts. It remains that there has been no material impact to our operations as a result of previously recorded cases,” reads the statement to The Reminder from Hudbay.
