COVID-19 | Confirmed Case at Meliadine

On September 28th, an employee working at Meliadine who boarded the plane from Mirabel presumptively tested positive for COVID-19 at our testing facility in Val-d’Or. On September 30th, Agnico Eagle received official notice from the local Public Health authorities confirming that this Meliadine employee has tested positive to COVID-19.

As per the Company’s strict safety procedure, the employee was in isolation prior to receiving the initial results and was kept isolated until they returned home on a special charter on September 29th. The employee is now under the care their local Public Health

Due to the robustness of our safety measures in place during transportation and on site, our Medical Director, in collaboration with the Government of Nunavut Public Health Office, have concluded that the risk of contagion is very low.

The 15 people identified as having been in potential contact with the individual who tested positive to COVID-19 were safely extracted from site as a preventive measure on September 29th, 2020 on a separate charter flight. They have all tested negative to COVID-19, however, they will be tested again at our Val-d’Or or Mirabel testing facilities on October 2nd and prior to returning to site.

Although all other employees who were on the northbound flight of September 28th were determined to be at a very low risk of contagion by our Medical Director and local health authorities, they will be tested again on October 1st and October 3rd as an additional preventive measure. This will ensure the incubation period has run its course which will allow for the detection of the virus, if present.

In addition, the contact tracing exercise determined that Meadowbank Complex employees travelling from Mirabel on September 28th were never in contact with the individual who has tested positive for COVID-19.

The Company continues to operate at the highest health and safety standards by going above and beyond the hygiene protocols provided by Public Health and medical experts to make sure everyone feels safe at the mine site.

We want to assure you that the risk remains very low and many measures implemented are precautionary actions. Although we are entering the second wave of COVID-19, we are confident in the measures in place to ensure the safety of all.

We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and our decisions are based on the latest available scientific knowledge on the virus. Considering the remote nature of our Nunavut operations, protocols are already in place to isolate, treat and transport employees requiring assistance. Our priority remains the safety of all employees and the surrounding communities.