Daily Update – Aug. 16, 2021 – as of 4:00 pm

News Type: 
Past COVID-19 Advisories

The NWT COVID-19 dashboard will be updated today to reflect the following:

Community

Active Confirmed

Probable

NWT Resident

Variant

Hospitalizations

Sahtu Outbreak

none

Fort Good Hope

21

1

Yes

Unknown

Colville Lake

2

2

Yes

Unknown

Délı̨nę

1

 

Yes

Unknown

Yellowknife

6

1

Yes

Unknown

Norman Wells

 

2

Yes

Unknown

Inuvik

1

 

Yes

Unknown

Other

Norman Wells

1

 

No

Unknown

Yellowknife

1

 

Yes

Unknown

Hay River

1

 

No

Unknown

Exposure Notifications

There are a number of new public exposure locations in Yellowknife and Délı̨nę. Please refer to the public exposure locations online, which will be updated immediately as needed.

For further updates: https://www.gov.nt.ca/covid-19/en/services/public-exposure-notifications

Testing and Isolation Advice

Please call your health centre for testing if you are symptomatic; to preserve capacity do not call for general advice if you are not symptomatic. Advice will be issued by way of public health advisories and via CKLB radio every half hour.

To arrange for testing in Yellowknife book online: https://nthssabookings.simplybook.me/v2/

To arrange for testing in other communities please call your local health centre: https://www.hss.gov.nt.ca/en/hospitals-and-health-centres

Containment Order

The OCPHO has issued a local containment order for Fort Good Hope and Colville Lake. The Public Health Order is pursuant to s.29 of the Public Health Act and mandates containment measures for 10 days to prevent further COVID-19 transmission.

As per previous public health advisory, and continuing for 10 days, the following measures are in effect within Fort Good Hope and Colville Lake:

  • No gatherings at any time in homes or in public places. Exceptions include people caring for others in their homes or who provide regularly scheduled childcare.
  • No gathering outdoors with anyone you do not live with.
  • Non-essential businesses and facilities must close – including community centres and schools.
  • Essential businesses and facilities shall remain open with no more than 10 persons  permitted in an indoor location at one time.
  • Offices may remain open provided they have no more than 10 persons in an indoor location, and physical distance of 2 metres can be maintained.
  • Daycares may remain open to the children of essential workers only.
  • All persons shall wear masks in any public indoor spaces, unless otherwise approved by the Chief Public Health Officer. For more information see “if there is a masking order”: https://www.gov.nt.ca/covid-19/en/services/vaccination-testing/isolation-those-diagnosed-exposed-or-tested-covid-19
  • All non-essential businesses and facilities, including community and youth centres, and schools. Under the containment order, essential businesses and facilities which may remain open are:
    • Grocery stores
    • Gas stations
    • Facilities offering health services, social support, and childcare (including home-based childcare)
    • Essential businesses or facilities shall follow any further directions or orders of the Chief Public Health Officer as may be provided from time to time.

For more information see Current Public Health Orders updates: https://www.gov.nt.ca/covid-19/en/current-public-health-orders

Investigation

A rapid response team is on-the-ground in both Fort Good Hope and Colville Lake to support local health officials on contact tracing and targeted testing to identify any potential exposures to, and cases of, COVID-19.

Recommendations

  • Non-essential travel into and out of the communities of Fort Good Hope and Colville Lake is strongly discouraged.
  • Remote work should be encouraged wherever possible.
  • Masking in indoor public spaces is recommended across the NWT.

For more information about all healthy habits: https://www.gov.nt.ca/covid-19/en/services/healthy-habits

Attribution

All commentary is attributable to Dr. Kami Kandola, Chief Public Health Officer for the Northwest Territories.

Relevant Links

Media Contact

Dawn Ostrem

Manager, COVID Communications Operations

Health and Social Services

COVID-19 Coordinating Secretariat

Dawn_Ostrem@gov.nt.ca