Two COVID-19 cases at Yellowknife schools; active case count in N.W.T. rises to 125

During the first week of school, two students at two different Yellowknife schools have tested positive for COVID-19.

One student from École St. Patrick High School and another student at École Sir John Franklin High School have tested positive for the virus, according to the territory's latest update. 

The two cases, it says, are unrelated and they were not infected at school.

The territory says that, because mandatory masks are in place at schools, the rate of transmission is low. Still, they will be contacting affected students directly. 

Simone Gessler, the superintendent of Yellowknife Catholic Schools, told parents in a statement posted to Facebook that the school will stay open while they monitor the situation. 

"We ask for your support in continuing to screen your child before coming to school, and ask that any students showing symptoms remain home," Gessler's statement reads. 

Students who are unvaccinated and who are known contacts of the two cases will be shifting to e-learning for the next 10 days. Vaccinated contacts of the cases will be tested and will continue with in-classroom learning while they self-monitor for symptoms. 

This news comes after Dr. Kami Kandola, the NW.T.'s chief public health officer, emphasized the territory's attempt to do as much in-person schooling as possible during this year. 

Active case count rises to 125

After five days of declining active cases, the territory's number rose back up slightly Wednesday, to 125 compared to 115 on Tuesday. 

Most of the new cases are in Yellowknife, where there are now 52 active cases, compared to 43 on Tuesday. 

There are still low levels of community transmission in Yellowknife, with the N.W.T. government admitting that it is "not currently possible" to identify all possible COVID-19 exposure sites. 

The territory is still warning Yellowknife residents to "treat all public spaces as possible exposure sites." 

Speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon, Kandola said there's no need for further restrictions in Yellowknife. She would consider calling a containment order if there was any sign that the COVID-19 cases were starting to overwhelm the healthcare system, and that's currently not the case. 

The active COVID-19 case numbers held steady in almost every other community, except Fort Good Hope, where three more people have recovered. That brings their active case count down from 23 on Tuesday to 20 on Wednesday.

Kandola will be lifting the containment orders for both Fort Good Hope and Colville Lake as of 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 4. 

Curfew, containment order extended in Norman Wells 

The town of Norman Wells is putting in place a curfew from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. "for the safety, health, protection and welfare of people," according to a notice on its website. 

Fines for first time offenders will be between $20 and $50, and will go up to $100 for those with two or more violations. 

Last week, the town put in place nightly patrols to identify those who were breaking public health orders during the containment order. 

Kandola extended Norman Wells' containment order until Sept. 14. The order prohibits gatherings inside or outside for people who don't live together, essential businesses and facilities are limited to having 10 people in an indoor location at any one time, non-essential businesses and facilities must close to the public, and anyone with symptoms must self-isolate immediately. 

As of Wednesday, there were 26 active COVID-19 cases in Norman Wells. Twenty-four people have recovered.