Vaccinated or not, N.W.T. isolation requirements are now the same for everyone
Deputy chief public health officer says vaccination still 'vital tool'
Vaccinated or not, everyone in the N.W.T. now faces the same isolation requirements for COVID-19 symptoms or exposures.
The new public health order for isolation came into effect at 5 p.m. Monday, and was delivered by press release.
The press release states that the changes were made to meet the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer's goal to reduce transmission of COVID-19 while also minimizing disruptions to schools or other critical services.
"Vaccination remains a vital tool in preventing serious outcomes from COVID-19," Deputy Chief Public Health Officer André Corriveau stated in the press release.
Corriveau added that vaccinations remain "the most important safety net" to protect vulnerable populations and the health care system.
Different exposures, different requirements
There are still differences in the ways people are expected to isolate, depending on the kind of exposure they've had to COVID-19, and whether they have symptoms.
Vaccinated or not, anyone who has been a close contact of someone who tested positive, but who doesn't live in the same household, is no longer expected to isolate.
They must self-monitor for symptoms, maintain physical distance, and wear a mask wherever possible for 10 days after they are identified as a close contact.
However, anyone who tests positive for COVID-19, or who shares a household with someone who did, must isolate for seven days. After that, they must wear a mask in all settings, for an additional three days.
Anyone with symptoms in any of these situations is expected to isolate and get tested where possible.
New outbreak sites, hospitalizations
On Monday the territorial government's COVID-19 dashboard indicated there have now been 90 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in the N.W.T.
Two correctional facilities were also added to the list of outbreak sites in the territory in the past two days.
The men's facility at the Fort Smith Correctional Complex was added today, and the North Slave Correctional Complex in Yellowknife was declared an exposure site Sunday.