Kamloops patient tower construction site closes after workers test positive for COVID-19

KAMLOOPS, B.C. — Workers at a Kamloops, B.C. construction site have tested positive for COVID-19.

Interior Health confirmed in a statement to the Journal of Commerce that the Royal Inland Hospital’s Patient Tower construction site voluntarily closed on Nov. 2 after a “potential COVID-19 exposure.”

“Interior Health can confirm a group of workers on the patient care tower construction site tested positive for COVID-19. This is not an outbreak and we can assure the local community, hospital staff, patients, visitors and other contractors that the exposure was limited to a crew who did not mingle with others on site,” the statement reads.

The workers’ movement was limited around the hospital and within the community and “we are confident the hospital and staff were not exposed,” Interior Health added.

“Our public health teams have directly contacted everyone who tested positive to complete contact tracing and provide support their self-isolation.”

EllisDon is the sole equity investor, design-builder and service provider under the design-build-finance-maintain model for the $288 million Patient Care Tower project. The firm closed the site on Nov. 2 to perform a deep clean and workers returned on Nov. 3.