Iqaluit, the capital of Canada’s Arctic territory of Nunavut, has reported its first case of COVID-19, forcing territorial authorities to order the shut down of non-essential businesses and introduce other public health restrictions.
“The individual is currently isolating and is doing well. We have initiated immediate contact tracing within the community and are working to identify all potential high-risk contacts quickly,” said Nunavut’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Michael Patterson.
“We ask residents of Iqaluit to stay home as much as possible and limit contact with other community members, including family members living in different households.”
Patterson has ordered all non-essential businesses and government offices to close. Indoor gatherings are restricted to a household plus five for emergencies only, and outdoor gatherings are limited to five people.
All indoor public gatherings are prohibited. All schools in Iqaluit will be closed for the remainder of this week. The government is also mandating the wearing of masks in Iqaluit, Patterson said.
Travelers who have departed Iqaluit on or after April 13 must immediately isolate themselves in their home community upon arrival for 14 days. Non-essential travel is highly discouraged, Patterson added.
Nunavut has one of the highest levels COVID-19 vaccination among Canada’s provinces and territories.
Premier Joe Savikataaq said more than 2,000 of Iqaluit’s 8,000 residents have received both doses of the Moderna vaccine, which is the only vaccine available in Nunavut. And more than 3,600 have received one dose.
Almost all previous cases of COVID-19 infection were in the Inuit community of Arviat, on the wester shore of Hudson Bay, Arviat, about 1,300 kilometres west of Iqaluit.
Arviat accounted for 339 of the territory’s 384 total cases to date. However the community has been without known cases since March 20.
With files from CBC News
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