Stricter health restrictions in Coral Harbour as ‘significant increase’ in COVID-19 risk reported
Health Department points to ‘memorial gatherings’ in late September as source of exposure risk
Tougher public health restrictions have been imposed in Coral Harbour, where a new case of COVID-19 was reported on Saturday and the Nunavut Health Department said there is a ‘significant increase’ in the risk of exposure following ‘memorial gatherings’ at the end of September. (File photo)
New public health restrictions are in place in Coral Harbour, where a new COVID-19 case reported Saturday brings the hamlet’s total to three. On Friday, chief public health officer Dr. Michael Patterson announced the new rules that include the closure of all non-essential businesses, travel restrictions into and out of the hamlet, limits on indoor and outdoor gatherings and limiting restaurants to take-out only.
The first case in the hamlet of approximately 975 people was reported on Sept. 29. It was resolved last week. Two more cases were reported on Thursday.
The Health Department also issued an exposure notice Saturday, urging residents who attended a household gathering on Sept. 29 to isolate immediately for 14 days because of a “significant increase” in the risk they were exposed to COVID-19.
The exposure notice did not identify the specific location of the household gathering.
But on Friday night, chief public health officer Dr. Michael Patterson issued a statement saying the increased risk of exposure followed “memorial gatherings” in Coral Harbour “over a few days in late September and early October.”
On Friday, Patterson announced increased public health measures for the hamlet, including the restriction of all travel to and from Coral Harbour. Anyone wishing to leave or enter the community, other than those people who are fully vaccinated and who have received a vaccine travel exemption letter, must get Patterson’s authorization first, he said in a news release.
Other public health measures Patterson imposed include the limiting of indoor and outdoor gatherings to five people, prohibiting indoor gatherings at places of worship, gyms and libraries, the closure of all non-essential businesses and limiting restaurants to takeout-only.
This is an absurd reaction. We should have reopened all activities 18 months ago; eliminating all restrictions, including masking and antisocial behavior.
Enough is enough. All this commotion, disruption and engineering. For what? For power trippers to power trip and so the filthy, filthy rich can become filthier.
You say you want a re-vo-lu-tion (JWL/PJM)
So many northerners have been unaffected by Corona besides minor inconveniences like wearing a mask and not having raging parties.
What will it take for you to take it seriously? Elders dying? Is that what you want?
To “Spoken liken a true unaffected”
All northerners, and all Canadians, have been unaffected by any coronavirus, but have been substantially affected by major, unnecessary disruptions to justice, education, health care, finances, small business and society.
Plus, we’ve been forced to wear an unhealthy mask, be antisocial in all respects, take a chemical into our bodies – and not having raging parties.
All the while the power trippers power trip and the filthy, filthy rich become filthier. The corrupt become more corrupt. Other than those minor inconveniences, no problemo!
People die, slatu. No coronavirus will change that.
There is NOTHING less important in the North than coronaviruses.
Where are these raging parties you are talking about? Only raging parties I see are the birthday parties held for little ones, yes they are raging parties, have you ever been to a 7yr old bday party?
I’m pretty sure that you’ve heard about this global pandemic which has been going on since early 2020, and maybe, just maybe we as a society should take the bare minimum of precautions against it spreading completely out of control.
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Now just in case you missed it, there have been 4,849,854 deaths worldwide due to coronavirus, and there have been 237,704,949 infections. In Canada alone there have been 28,248 deaths and 1,665,635 infections, many with serious long term symptoms.
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And it’s not over yet by any means despite having a very effective vaccine which prevents most serious illness. Remember that kids are not immune to the coronavirus and a vaccine for those under 12 years old has not yet been approved.
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But maybe you are right, just have no precautions whatsoever because they may inconvenience “S”.
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I’m really curious what you think would have happened if there had been zero precautions. Would there be fewer people ill, and fewer deaths?
God will save us,
Great, would you mind asking him/her/it to hurry things up a little. Some people aren’t that good at following instruction on how to not spread the virus.
That’s like saying, I’ll drive hands free at 100km through a crowd hands free, cause God will save them.
“S” – will you publicly identify yourself so that the rest of us know what idiot to avoid in the future. EDUCATE yourself! for crying out loud.