HALIFAX -- The number of COVID-19 cases confirmed at a sawmill operated by J.D. Irving Ltd., near Truro, N.S. has risen to three.
On Saturday morning, the company said one of its employees tested positive. The worker’s last shift was March 22.
Irving says the worker received the proper medical care, and is self-isolating.
In an email to CTV News, Mary Keith, the vice-president of communications for J.D. Irving, said the company learned Wednesday two more employees had tested positive.
One worker was last at the sawmill March 23, and the second worker was last on site March 26.
The company says the sawmill underwent a cleaning and disinfection by third party emergency response professionals on March 28 and 29.
Keith said the two workers had not been at the sawmill site since that cleaning.
“We understand the Public Health investigation is continuing to determine the close contacts of the two recent cases,” Keith said in the email.
After word came out Wednesday that these workers had been infected, Irving decided to immediately shut the mill down for a minimum of 24 hours, and begin another round of cleaning. That will take place Thursday morning beginning at 7 a.m.
"Out of an abundance of caution, the site will go through a second disinfection and cleaning by trained third party emergency response professionals," Keith wrote. "We will work with Public Health to understand when a safe reopening can be undertaken."
The Valley, N.S., sawmill runs on shifts, and employs 140 people.
