Work on the long-awaited Calgary Cancer Centre hasn’t been halted by a COVID-19 outbreak that’s spread dramatically among workers at the site.

As of Monday, there had been 66 cases of the disease among workers on the construction project located at the Foothills Medical Centre, up from 35 the previous Friday.

Of those, 26 were active cases in what Alberta Health describes as a “significant” outbreak.

Two months ago, a single construction worker at the location tested positive for COVID-19 and was considered an isolated case.

Work on the $1.4-billion facility continues, with the project exempt from a closure protocol for worksites with COVID-19 outbreaks that would normally shut it down for a minimum of 10 days, said Alberta Health Services spokesman Kerry Williamson.

“Work camps, essential and critical services are exempt. Construction of the Calgary Cancer Centre falls under exempt workplaces since it is a commercial construction site,” he said in a statement. “At this time, the worksite remains open.”

Officials with AHS and provincial Occupational Health and Safety visited the worksite that employs about 1,000 people last Sunday to assess the situation there, said Williamson.

Steps are being taken to ensure the workplace remains safe amid the outbreak, including sending home symptomatic employees who are also tested, he said.

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