COVID-19 cases in multiple communities prompt Nunavut-wide restrictions
New cases in Sanirajak, Rankin Inlet, Pangnirtung and Iqaluit bring restrictions on Christmas Eve
Nunavut’s chief public health officer says the territory needs “act fast” to stop COVID-19 from spreading to more communities. (Graphic by Viktor Forgacs/Unsplash)
Non-essential travel and gatherings are grinding to a halt across Nunavut this Christmas Eve as cases of COVID-19 were discovered in multiple communities overnight.
Sanirajak and Rankin Inlet each have one case, Nunavut’s chief public health officer, Dr. Michael Patterson announced Friday morning. Iqaluit and Pangnirtung, where COVID-19 was already present, now each have three cases, bringing the total to eight across the territory.
All non-essential travel, especially inter-community travel, is strongly discouraged, Patterson said.
Restrictions for every Nunavut community include:
- Outdoor gatherings are limited to five people.
- No indoor public gatherings are allowed.
- Up to five visitors are allowed in a home, but only for essential or emergency services.
- Libraries, galleries, theatres, fitness centres, swimming pools and arenas are closed.
- Places of worship are closed.
- All non-essential businesses and government offices are closed.
- Bars and licensed establishments are closed.
- Restaurants can open for takeout only.
- All personal services, including chiropractors, massage therapists, beauty salons and hairdressers are closed.
- In-person group counselling sessions are not allowed.
- No visitors at long-term care and elders’ facilities allowed.
- Parks are closed.
Travel in and out of Rankin Inlet is restricted to essential purposes only, and travel to and from Pangnirtung and Iqaluit is also limited to essential purposes.
Residents of these communities can travel home.
Anyone who isn’t triple-vaccinated — two vaccine doses and a booster shot — is being asked to isolate for 14 days when they enter Nunavut.
Schools will stay closed until Jan. 10, or until Patterson says otherwise.
Day cares can stay open to care for children of essential workers.
The new restrictions came into effect at noon on Christmas Eve.
“We need to act quickly to help trace and contain the outbreak,” he said, calling the restrictions a “circuit-breaker” approach to stopping the disease from entering more communities.
On Wednesday, the Department of Health announced a case of the virus was detected in someone who hadn’t left Iqaluit for over a month, leading health officials to believe community transmission was already at play.
“I understand this will make the holiday season harder for many, but it is necessary for the health and safety of our communities and loved ones,” Patterson said.
The Government of Nunavut also issued notices of exposure for three flights on Friday:
- Dec. 20: Flight #5T101 from Ottawa to Iqaluit, rows 1 to 7
- Dec. 21: Flight #5T101 from Ottawa to Iqaluit, rows 10 to 22
- Dec 23: Flight #5T872 from Iqaluit to Sanirajak, rows 1 to 4
Anyone who was in an affected row is being asked to isolate for 14 days from the date of the flight and call the COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-975-8601 to get tested immediately, whether they are vaccinated or not.
Other passengers on the flights are being asked to self-monitor and get tested if symptoms develop.
Nunavut’s MP Lori Idlout announced in a written statement on Friday she has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home in Iqaluit.
Nunavummiut workers are also being sent home from Agnico Eagle’s mining operations for three weeks, with 13 cases detected from Dec. 18 to Dec. 22.
None of the individuals with COVID-19 at the mines are Nunavummiut, Sonja Galton, a spokesperson for the company confirmed on Friday.
What about Rankin Inlet, did the person travel? When? From where? Or is it a mine emoloyee?
Please provide this update for kivalliqmiut as well, thank you
What has the GN done about rapid testing? have they helped people in need or businesses? yet they are quick with there decrees, lets shut down Christmas and oops sorry about that because we don’t want to do anything. lets have a nice Holiday until Jan 10 and then w e will extend it.
Covid-mongering won’t stop unless we stop buying it
“Up to five visitors are allowed in a home, but only for essential or emergency services.”
5 per home?
5 people if they are ‘essential’ or ’emergency’ services? Is this like an ambulance situation with 5 personnel.
If this is the omicron variety of covid then the vaccines and booster does not work well or at all.
This variety is mild between a cold and flu. If caught valuable antibodies will result.
True that. We caught ours, almost done. Like a flu. No shots for us and thats how it is 🙂 but if you are asthma, overweight, or old, shot might help. Just be curtious and enjoy life.
Forgot to say, having rapid tests at home helped confirm, so we arent socializing till its done. The home tests were really helpful.
Been saying this for awhile. We need our Rapid Test kits too. All Provinces and Territories have been provided test kits. Hand them please
Since the Omicron variant was only identified a month ago it’s too early to say that the current vaccines don’t “work” against it.
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Any virus is likely to be able to invade your body and few if any vaccines are going to provide 100% protection for everyone.
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What the current vaccines do is to prime your body’s defenses and prevent the virus from replicating in your lungs where it can do serious damage. Before the vaccines were developed the virus would overwhelm some people’s immune system before it could identify and target the virus.
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This is why it mostly affected older people, those with comorbidities and weakened immune systems.
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Now it does appear that Omicron binds to the cells receptors easier, making it much more contagious. On the other hand it appears to replicate slower making it less virulent and harmful. As well 85% of the population now has the vaccine so their immune system mounts a more rapid and effective response.
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We know that the original vaccines were targeted to act on the original virus, and it has mutated quite a bit. It is not surprising that it is less effective at preventing any symptomatic infection, but it is very luck for us that the vaccines still prevent serious illness.
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Any study that I have see indicates that vaccine induced antibodies vastly outnumber those gained by viral infection, possibly because the infection itself may be minor which would produce only a small number of antibodies.
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Bottom line is that without vaccines Omicron may be been worse than the original virus and the Delta variant, also if you haven’t been vaccinated you should get the 3 doses of the mRNA vaccines even if you have previously contracted the virus.
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Remember the virus is still mutating and who’s to say that the PI or RHO variant isn’t both more infectious and more virulent?
“Up to five visitors are allowed in a home, but only for essential or emergency services.”
?? Does this mean:
5 “visitors” or
5 “essential or emergency” personnel ??
we had 4 essential visitors to our house. It was essential for our well being that they came to visit us Christmas Eve!
EVERYTHING that is deemed non-essential in this antisocial decree is essential.
I totally agree! And there has never been a single exposure notice from any of the places above except the chartroom bar for Iqaluit and the flights. Instead of just shutting everything down, why can’t we use our vaccine passport? I am a long time iqaluimiut currently in the south where there are hundreds/thousands of cases and am still able to use the gym, swim, eat in a restaurant, go Christmas shopping. Etc. all with mask and capacity limits. This directive from Patterson feels like a huge step backwards as vaccination has been going on for a while. Nowhere in this mentioned about the line up at the b&w store. Is that really more essential than the now-banned one on one counseling that is very likely with social distance and mask. Too much to be made by the govt. with the b&w store
Hmmm so can we just acknowledge for a second that there is evidence that letting vaccinated people come into Nunavut (as well as travel within Canada) without isolating or even testing is not a great idea. So why are we doing this with the triple vaccinated now? Double and triple vaccinated are getting Covid-19 too! Let’s use science to make decisions and stop discriminating groups of people for no reason.
So true. Any one can be infected with Covid. Doesn’t matter how many shots you have had. Everyone who comes in to Nunavut these days should have a Rapid Test (where are the tests Patterson) and if no Rapid test then isolate while waiting for the molecular test results.
And yes Rapid Tests are not the best but sure are better than nothing.
We should isolate for one month and not see a soul and then the virus will be gone and then I can get back to bingo
Imagine living in the City , Here , one has to be super careful all the time since not everyone follows the rules.
If your in a airplane all the air Sheree with all. The passengers so one had the covied it doesn’t matter witch seat you had it’s all in the cabin
We’re not all the same Inuit don’t trust government some do and some don’t we’re not talking about the past now it’s for we survive for the generation we have to live if not you can try
I’m from kuujjuaraapik whapmgusti umuijak Sani so go get your vaccine ummp