Frigate maintenance delayed for two shifts

Work resumed Wednesday night after negative COVID tests

Work on maintenance of the HMCS Ville de Quebec at the Irving Halifax Shipyard resumed for the Wednesday night shift after PCR tests of three positives found during rapid COVID-19 testing on Tuesday came back negative.

A news release from Irving late Wednesday afternoon said all 168 day shift VDQ workers and staff who were tested Tuesday have now received a negative test result.

One additional contractor who tested positive is a prior close contact who has been away from the workplace since last Friday and is selfisolating.

Work was suspended Tuesday night after three people tested positive during rapid testing.

Spokeswoman Mary Keith said operations were also suspended for Wednesday's day shift.

“It's a dynamic situation,” Keith said in an email.

There are more than 350 Irving employees, local contractors and subcontractors working on the Ville de Quebec on the two shifts.

Keith also said that separate from the testing for those employees, there was a positive test result of an employee who was last on site May 6 and who began feeling ill May 8. That employee's crew, supervisor and any likely high-risk close contacts are self-isolating and awaiting test results or scheduling them.

Keith said the shipyard also learned late Tuesday night that a presumed positive case associated with an Arctic offshore patrol ship on sea trials involved an individual who came aboard after the vessel had docked. The individual's crew of 20 people are selfisolating.

Keith said while the case is not yet confirmed, “out of an abundance of caution we undertook cleaning of the affected areas overnight. Other than the cleaners, there were no other people working through the evening on (the vessel).

Dr. Robert Strang, the province's chief medical officer of health, told reporters Wednesday afternoon that public health officials will be meeting with officials from the shipyard Thursday morning to discuss the situation at the site.

KROCHAK • THE CHRONICLE HERALD TIM The Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec sits under wraps at the Irving Halifax Shipyard on Wednesday. Two shifts of workers doing maintenance on the vessel were put on hold after three positive tests for COVID-19 on the day shift Tuesday.