Households in Yellowknife, Ndilo and Dettah are no longer allowed to host visitors indoors, with some limited exceptions, according to a revised public health order from the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer that will remain in effect until Oct. 11 at 11:59 p.m.
Among the exceptions are single member households can bubble with one additional household; caregivers providing care to an individual (check-ins on the elderly, individuals with disabilities, etc.); those who have regularly scheduled childcare arrangements and respite needs; persons responding to emergencies (medical emergencies, police emergencies and urgent home repairs, etc); and previously approved family reunification.
Chief public health officer (CPHO) Dr. Kami Kandola “recognizes that this order will be in place over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend,” and that Northerners are encouraged to gather with their online families,” states a news release.
To protect privacy, the CPHO will not comment on vaccine status of NWT residents who have died of COVID-19 when there have been fewer than 10 such deaths.
Data from across Canada, provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada on Sept. 11, show that 80.2 per cent of COVID-19 deaths are in unvaccinated individuals, 8.4 per cent are in individuals not yet protected (such as children) , 7.7 per cent are in partially vaccinated individuals and 3.7 per cent of deaths were in fully-vaccinated individuals.
The Office of the Chief Public Health Officer (OCPHO) has announced 45 new cases of COVID-19 in the NWT since Sept. 28. There are 283 active cases among residents in the territory — plus four active out-of-territory cases. There have been six NWT deaths overall.
The OCPHO has also declared a COVID-19 outbreak at a Tłı̨chǫ All-Season Road (TSAR) work camp. The OCPHO defines an outbreak as “evidence of transmission of COVID-19” at the camp.
The individuals who tested positive are safely isolating and any impacted workers are being monitored for signs and symptoms. There is no additional risk to the public identified at this time, according to the OCPHO.
Everyone in the NWT who tests positive for COVID-19 must immediately isolate for a period of 10 days, which begins at the time they receive a positive test result for the virus.