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The man, who is in his 50s, attended the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) 2020 convention and trade show on March 2 and 3. Public Health Sudbury & Districts is actively engaged in follow up and is collaborating with Ontario's Ministry of Health and the local health system.

Dr Penny Sutcliffe, medical officer of health with Public Health Sudbury & Districts, stated: "Our focus is on breaking the chain of transmission to limit the spread of infection and as a precautionary measure, we are asking those who attended PDAC 2020 to monitor for symptoms for 14 days."

Dr Sutcliffe later added in an update: "I am confirming that based on our investigations so far, the individual was not infectious while attending the PDAC 2020 conference March 2 and 3 in Toronto. Our working hypothesis at this time is that this individual was exposed to COVID-19 while at the conference."

According to PDAC, attendance at the convention this year totalled 23,144.

Symptoms of COVID-19 (commonly referred to as coronavirus) can range from mild to severe and include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing (shortness of breath). Complications from COVID-19 can include serious conditions, like pneumonia or kidney failure, and in some cases, death.

If symptoms develop within 14 days, people are advised to self-isolate as quickly as possible and immediately call their health care professionals or public health system to make arrangements to be tested.

Other industry events

The CONEXPO-CON/AGG show is currently underway in Las Vegas, Nevada, US. The organisers have a dedicated page here for updates about COVID-19.

Travel restrictions related to international travel and corporate policies have impacted some companies that planned to exhibit at the show. For example, Europe-based companies such as Volvo, Terex Trucks and Magna Tyres decided last week not to attend due to concerns about the virus. However, the show organisers stated that only 2.48% of its exhibit space had been cancelled and some of this had since been resold to other exhibitors.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), the CONEXPO-CON/AGG owner and producer, stated that it is closely monitoring the news and will follow any protocols that are provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). It encouraged exhibitors and attendees to take common-sense precautions by using hand sanitiser and following these guidelines set by the CDC when they are onsite at the show.

Lise Bujold, director of events at the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), released a statement today regarding the CIM convention that is scheduled to take place from May 3-6 in Vancouver, Canada.

"Rest assured that the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) is being diligent in ensuring that the safety and security of our attendees, staff and operational personnel remains the top priority," she said.

"There are currently no plans for CIM to cancel or postpone the convention as a result of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak."

She added that the organisation will continue to monitor the situation closely, and will continue to take direction from the CDC and the WHO as required.

UPDATE: The CIM Convention and Exhibition 2020, scheduled to take place May 3-6, has now been cancelled.