28 new cases of COVID-19 in N.W.T., increases in Yellowknife, Behchok

There are 28 new cases of COVID-19 in the N.W.T., half of which are in Yellowknife, according to the latest update from territorial public health officials which also included a pair of new exposure notices.

In an update Friday evening, the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer (OCPHO) said 14 new cases of the virus were in the city, bringing the total number of active cases in Yellowknife to 97, while five were in Behchok, where there are now 16 active cases.

The update also included a single case in utselk'e, which CBC News reported on Thursday.

The number of active cases dropped by four in Fort Good Hope, leaving a total of eight active cases, and it dropped by one in Fort Providence, leaving just a single active case in that community.

There are no longer any cases of COVID-19 in Delneand Gamet, while the number of active cases went unchanged in Norman Wells (5) and Tulita (9).

The total number of recent COVID-19 cases in the N.W.T. is now up to 464, 134 of which are active among residents. There are also three active cases in out-of-territory workers.

There have been 14 COVID-19 hospitalizations during what public health calls the current "Delta variant outbreak." Public health says there has been a total of six ICU admissions.

Exposure notices, cancellations and closures

Exposure notices were issued Friday for a funeral in Fort Simpson on Sept. 7 and an Air Tindi flight from Yellowknife to utselk'e on Sept. 8.

Anyone aboard the flight is asked to monitor for symptoms, wear a mask in all public spaces, and to arrange for testing if symptoms develop. Those who attended the funeral and who are fully vaccinated are asked to do the same, while those who attended the funeral and who are either partially vaccinated or unvaccinated are asked to isolate for 10 days and to get tested.

There are also a slew of measures and cancellations being taken to curb the spread in a number of communities.

Court proceedings in Yellowknife, Behchoko, Inuvik, Fort Providence, utselk'e, Aklavik, Ulukhaktok and What have been postponed until later dates. A full list can be downloaded here.

The housing associations in Tulita and utselk'e have closed their offices. Tulita has also extended its local state of emergency until Tuesday.

Aurora College programming in Behchok has been postponed, while programming in Yellowknife, Ndilo and Dettah is moving online from Monday until Sept. 24. Facilities in Yellowknife will remain open.

People in Yellowknife who are looking for COVID-19 testing are now being asked to book online and testing clinic hours have been expanded because of increased demand.

Fort Good Hope, meanwhile, continues to get help with food donations and recently received more than 315 kilograms of chicken.