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Yellowknife has 20 active cases of COVID-19, no community transmission so far

Yellowknife now has 20 active cases, and seven probable cases of COVID-19. They are all related to an outbreak at N.J. Macpherson School, which was first declared on the weekend.

7 probable cases, more than 1,000 close contacts related to outbreak at school

Yellowknife now has 20 active cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, according to the government's latest numbers. There's also seven probable cases. (NIAID Integrated Research Facility/Reuters)

There are now 20 active and seven probable cases of COVID-19 in Yellowknife, all linked to the outbreak at N.J. Macpherson School, which was first detected on the weekend.

In a news release Tuesday evening, Northwest Territories Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola said the situation is "evolving quickly."

Public health is still reaching out to inform contacts. There are more than 1,000 connected to the outbreak at the school.

"Everyone in [Yellowknife] and surrounding areas should continue to review public exposures and follow the directions on the [territorial government's] COVID-19 website," Kandola said in a statement.

She also said "there is no evidence of community transmission in Yellowknife or surrounding areas at present," based on extensive investigations. 

This week a number of businesses and facilities announced closures as a response to the COVID-19 cases.

There is also more clarification here on who is and is not considered a close contact.

A list of public exposure risk locations has also been listed. Those can be found here.