Strict quarantine and better testing key to tackling COVID-19: Nunavik doctor

Health officials in Nunavik hope to prevent a trickle of COVID-19 cases in the region from increasing by implementing better testing and quarantine rules for travellers to and from the region.

Since the beginning of October, the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services has tracked two cases of the virus in the region and another four cases of COVID-19 among Nunavimmiut outside the region. An employee of Canadian Royalties’ Nunavik Nickel also tested positive earlier this month.

In response to those cases, the health board has advised against non-essential travel.

But Dr. Yassen Tcholakov, the clinical lead in infectious diseases with Nunavik Public Health, says regional health authorities are not looking to restrict travel altogether.

“There are ways of avoiding the risk of COVID-19 and that’s through quarantine,” he said.

Anyone travelling to the region must quarantine for a 14-day period before they move freely in Nunavik. The quarantine can be done in either the south or the North, or even a combination of both, Tcholakov said, as long as the person remains isolated.

“Quarantine means avoiding contact with others,” Tcholakov said. “It can be done in a household, but then it requires all other household members to isolate as well. And I think that’s not always well understood.

“It means not leaving the house.”

The health board continues to oversee screening of travellers at the Montreal airport, but the board is also in the process of setting up a new, off-site screening clinic in the city’s Saint-Laurent borough.

At the new clinic, Nunavimmiut or travellers to the region will be tested a few days before they’re scheduled to depart, so that anyone with a positive test can first be treated and quarantined.

“We’re seeing cases where travellers are tested, board a flight and then test positive,” Tcholakov said.

That was the case in Ivujivik last week, where two individuals flew home from travel to Toronto, only to test positive once they arrived home. The pair are now in isolation.

“It’s still preferable for us to avoid having infectious people travelling,” Tcholakov said.

“We’re hoping to get those results before they depart, so they have that result before they board their flights.”

The health board now also requires travellers who’ve arrived in Nunavik to take a second COVID-19 test seven days after their arrival, arranged through the local health centre.

Tcholakov encourages people to be safe, but he is also asking Nunavimmiut to be supportive of each other.

“What we’ve seen recently, and with most cases in Nunavik, is that there’s a lot of fear surrounding COVID-19, but that sometimes translates into stigmatization,” Tcholakov said.

“It’s important to stress that solidarity can be more important in this case,” he said, encouraging Nunavimmiut to check in and help out neighbours and friends who are in quarantine.

The health board offers a list of resources here.

Halloween is a go

As Oct. 31 approaches, the health board has told families they can plan to go out trick-or-treating this year, as long as they respect social distancing.

Health officials recommend that members of the same household trick-or-treat together and that households only offer wrapped treats that have been placed in a large container, so children can help themselves.

The health board is advising against group activities or parties, indoors or outside.