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COVID-19 cluster declared at Trans Mountain site near Valemount, B.C.

Northern Health and Trans Mountain are working to manage a COVID-19 cluster. (Getty Images)

A cluster of COVID-19 cases is impacting operations at a Trans Mountain worksite in British Columbia’s northern interior.

Sixteen employees and contractors in the Valemount area have tested positive. Another 50 close contacts are now in self-isolation.

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Northern Health has referred to the cases as a “cluster” rather than an outbreak. The health authority says the majority of infections were not acquired at the site and there is little evidence of ongoing transmission among employees.

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The health authority is urging Trans Mountain staff, and residents in the Valemount area, to take preventive measures, such as frequent hand-washing, mask-wearing, and getting vaccinated, as COVID-19 continues to circulate.

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In light of the cluster, the company has implemented further COVID-19 safety measures.

In a statement issued Friday, Northern Health said it has been working with Trans Mountain to monitor the cluster since early August.

Health officials on Friday reported 717 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily case count since early May. There are 163 active cases of the disease in Northern Health, the province said Friday.

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