Nunavut government warns of potential COVID-19 exposures in N.W.T.
People who travelled through Yellowknife or Fort Good Hope’s airports between Aug. 5 and 17 are at risk, Health Department says
The timeframe of COVID-19 exposures in Fort Good Hope and Yellowknife, N.W.T., is between Aug. 5 and 17. (Graphic by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash)
Nunavummiut who travelled to Yellowknife or Fort Good Hope, N.W.T., this month are being warned of potential COVID-19 exposures.
Those who travelled to a hand games tournament in Fort Good Hope between Aug. 5 and 9, or visited Yellowknife’s Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation between Aug. 10 and 13 may be affected, the Government of Nunavut said in a news release Tuesday.
As well, anybody who travelled through the Yellowknife airport or Fort Good Hope between Aug. 5 and 17 could have been exposed to the virus.
The government published directions for people who visited these places during these times that are dependent on where they were, and their vaccination status.
Those who were at the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation between Aug. 10 and 13 must isolate whether they are fully vaccinated or not. That’s because they may have sustained more close contact with others, such as hugging, said Health Department spokesperson Chris Puglia.
Those who attended the hand games or travelled through the Yellowknife airport within the dates flagged by the territorial government, and are not fully vaccinated, must immediately self isolate for 14 days as well.
Those in isolation can calculate their 14-days starting on the day of their departure to Nunavut. They are asked to call the territory’s COVID hotline at 1-888-975-8601 to schedule a COVID-19 test on day 12 or 13 of their isolation.
Nunavummiut who are still in the N.W.T. and are not fully vaccinated will have to stay in an isolation hub in Yellowknife for 14 days because the Nunavut government suspended its common travel area between the two territories.
Those who travelled through the airports or attended the hand games tournament and are fully vaccinated are asked to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms develop, they are asked to isolate immediately and call the COVID-19 hotline.
The government is also asking those affected by these exposure warnings to wear a mask in all indoor public spaces, only gather with people in their immediate households and not to go to any public indoor spaces where masks need to be removed.
Perhaps allowing unvaccinated people to attend mass gatherings for hand games tournaments in the region with the lowest vaccination rate in the territory was a bad idea?
Send your note again in a positive manner, you will get more attention. There should be a rule that sarcasm is not allowed.
I wholeheartedly agree with mr. muskox above. Allowing this type of close-contact activity in a region known to be vaccine hesitant was rediculous.
The post above suggested that the plan to allow unvaccinated people to travel to a tournament in an area with low rates of vaccination was a bad idea. There was no mocking or sarcasm. The comments sections allows people to say express if they agree or disagree. They wasn’t weren’t being negative, even if you don’t like the situation or what they said. It is an assessment of the situation. Seems like an accurate one too.
Majority of the people testing positive are unvaccinated, taking up space in the hospitals, these people who refuse to take the vaccine for personal reasons and fuelling the pandemic, keeping it going. If you are able to take the vaccine stop hesitating and take it, it will only help you and the rest of us.
We are so tired of this pandemic.