COVID-19 outbreak declared at mink farm in B.C.'s Fraser Valley

Outbreak declared at mink farm An outbreak at a Fraser Valley mink farm has resulted in eight test-positive cases of COVID-19 so far.

Vancouver — Fraser Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at a mink farm in the Fraser Valley after eight people at the facility tested positive for the disease.

The health authority says it is screening employees and case and contact management is ongoing.

The farm operators and affected staff are self-isolating, and the farm has been ordered to restrict the transport of animals, products and goods during the outbreak, Fraser Health said.

In a news release announcing the outbreak, the health authority did not name the farm. CTV News Vancouver contacted Fraser Health and was told no further details would be provided Sunday.

The health authority said it has inspected the farm with WorkSafeBC.

"We continue to work with the site on their COVID-19 mitigation strategies," Fraser Health said in its release.

Mink at the farm are now being tested for COVID-19, Fraser Health said.

Last month, Denmark ordered the culling of all farmed mink in the country after discovering a mutated strain of the coronavirus that had passed from humans to mink and back. Some 17 million mink were killed.

Spain and the Netherlands have also ordered mink culls after detecting outbreaks of COVID-19 in the animals.

Fraser Health said "enhanced measures" are in place to ensure the safety of animals and workers at the B.C. farm, adding that WorkSafeBC is reaching out to other mink farms in the province to discuss safety requirements.

All businesses in British Columbia, including mink farms, are required to implement COVID-19 safety plans to protect workers and prevent the transmission of the disease in the workplace.