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Red Dog has implemented protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to safeguard the health and safety of all personnel. This includes bi-weekly COVID testing at site for all personnel during their rotation and daily documented effectiveness checks to drive adherence to all COVID-19 physical distancing protocols and identify opportunities for improvement.
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Every Red Dog employee must adhere to Red Dog COVID-19 mitigation measures that reflect current CDC guidance and local and state mandates.
Red Dog closely monitors public health guidance and adjusts response protocols as required to align with this guidance.
Red Dog continues to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic closely. Through implementation and adherence to site protocols, Red Dog has greatly reduced the spread of COVID-19 at site and within the communities in which our personnel live.
As such, Red Dog personnel and visitors on outbound flights to Anchorage and select regional communities no longer require a COVID test. Outbound flight COVID-19 testing will continue only for those employees flying to communities requiring testing. Additionally, any personnel who wish to continue to receive a COVID test on fly-days may do so.
Red Dog reserves the right to restore outbound testing if circumstances require doing so.
All personnel traveling from communities in the Northwest Arctic region are tested on the day of arrival at site.
All personnel traveling from Anchorage are required to take a rapid test at the Anchorage Ted Stevens International Airport on the day of travel.
Rapid Antigen testing is also readily available and is used for bi-weekly test requirements.
Red Dog has ABBOTT ID NOW rapid test analyzers at site, which are used to process COVID-19 tests. These machines have the capacity to process one test every 15 minutes.
Rapid test analyzers are used to process samples from personnel experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and for regional personnel on the day they arrive at Red Dog.
Testing remains a key part of our measures to contain and mitigate COVID-19 by identifying positive individuals to help prevent person-to-person transmission of COVID-19.
Isolation occurs when an individual has tested positive for the virus and is separated from people who are not positive. People must isolate themselves for five days and then wear a mask for an additional five days.
The five-day quarantine requirement for close contact with a COVID-positive individual has been suspended. Those who are close contacts can continue to work but must test daily for five days and wear an approved mask while around others for ten days, provided they display no symptoms of COVID-19.
Red Dog has designated a personnel care wing in the Personnel Accommodations Complex (PAC) to house individuals who need to be isolated.
Individuals can take fresh air or smoking breaks provided they follow the specific direction for entry and exiting their camp wing.
The ventilation system has been configured to only use air supplied outside the living facility. Therefore, the air is not recycled in the facility. Personnel providing meals and collecting garbage from rooms are required to maintain a minimum six-foot distance and wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when servicing the care wing. They do not enter the rooms of isolated personnel.
Additionally, rooms where a positive COVID-19 case was confirmed are thoroughly sanitized using sanitizing foggers before they are allowed to be used for standard occupancy.
