Nunavut residents in isolation offered mental health advice

Nunavut’s chief public health officer, Michael Patterson, offered some mental health tips to residents who are isolated because of COVID-19 and live alone on Wednesday, April 1. Regular phone calls can help so you have “voice contact,” he said. Short walks with friends are “tolerable,” as long as you’re six feet apart. This expands the definition of a household, Patterson said, but the time together will protect other aspects of well-being. “We’re not doing anybody any favours if we deal with COVID-19 but cause a lot of other difficulties,” he said. Nunavut has no confirmed cases of COVID-19. Eighty-five people have been tested and found to be negative, while 205 people are waiting for test results or have symptoms, or both, and must self-isolate for 14 days or until they’re cleared by the Government of Nunavut. (Photo by Meagan Deuling)