Fort Simpson sees its first COVID-19 cases as active infections decline in N.W.T.
This is the second report in a row from the GNWT where active case counts are on the decline
The N.W.T. announced there are 53 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday, bringing the total active case count to 119.
Of these cases, two of them are in Fort Simpson, the regional hub of the Dehcho region. Until now, that community has not had any COVID-19 case during the pandemic.
This is the second update in a row where the number of active cases is on the decline. On Friday, the case count was 192, and, as of Monday, it's 119.
So far, the territory has seen 324 recent cases of COVID-19, most of them associated with the outbreak that started in the Sahtu region.
Of these cases, 203 have recovered, including two non-residents.
Three more Rangers called to Fort Good Hope
Over the weekend, the territory activated three more Canadian Rangers in Fort Good Hope, bringing the total number of active military on the ground to five.
The N.W.T. government's update does not include what the service members were needed for, nor what did they do on the ground.
People in Fort Good Hope also got a delivery of 2,800 pounds of groceries and personal protective equipment from the territory this weekend on a chartered flight.
The rest of the N.W.T.'s COVID-19 update focused on how they're improving their public health messaging to the affected communities in the Sahtu.
During radio broadcasts, the territory will be running advisories "where possible" in Indigenous languages except in Behchokǫ ̀ where there is currently no radio access. The territory says they are working with individual Tłı̨chǫ broadcasters there to get public health information out.
The territory also launched a new, multi-platform ad campaign for the mandatory mask requirement — a new policy put in place by the office of the chief public health officer last week.
Visitation temporarily suspended at Stanton Territorial Hospital
The N.W.T. is postponing in-person visits at Stanton Territorial Hospital until Tuesday.
According to a notice from the department, visitation is being suspended "as an added precaution while contact tracing and testing is conducted related to a COVID-19 case."
No further information will be provide by the N.W.T. at this time, according to the release, but it emphasized the hospital is "acting with caution," to protect patients and staff.
The cuts in visitation come after the territory announced late Friday that healthcare services will be further cut back in Yellowknife, and providing emergency services only in the Sahtu and Dehcho regions because of "staffing redeployments."
Most appointments at Yellowknife Primary Care Clinic and Frame Lake Community Health Centre will be held online until Sept. 11. Some, like STI testing and newborn vaccinations, will still be available.
The territory is asking residents to call ahead with questions about their appointments if they are unsure whether they will be moved online.
Exposure notice on flight to Inuvik
The territory issued one new exposure notice Monday, for rows 1-7 on an Aug. 27 flight from Edmonton to Inuvik.
Anyone who was on that flight is asked to self-monitor and arrange for COVID-19 testing if they start to develop symptoms.
So far, two other exposure sites were identified in Inuvik mid-August: the Inuvik Trapper Bar on Aug. 15, and the Inuvik Legion between 3:30 and 4:30 on Aug. 14.