Tourism OK’d in Nunavik, Quebec as of June 21

A view in Kangiqsujuaq, a Nunavik village and the gateway to the Pingualuit Provincial Park. Tourism is now permitted in the region as of June 21. (Eilís Quinn/Eye on the Arctic)

Tourism in Nunavik, the Inuit region of Arctic Quebec, is again permitted as of June 21, the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services said in a Facebook post on Monday.

Tourists will still be required to fill out a Nunavik Territory Access Authorization (NTAA) form online a minimum of 72 hours before departure to the region. They will also need proof of having had a COVID-19 test between 48 and 72 hours before their flight, and have a second test seven days after arriving.

Those who have have not had two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, or have received their second vaccine doses within 14 days of visiting Nunavik, will be required to quarantine for 10 days.

Masks will still be required on flights and when out in public.

No one from the NRBHSS was immediately available to discuss the lifting of the tourism restrictions, but in the organization’s Facebook post it said it would continue to monitor the situation in Nunavik and across the province and adjust the policy as necessary.

All of Nunavik’s communities are currently “green” meaning no COVID-19 cases have been associated with the community in the last four weeks. (Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services)

Nunavik has a population of approximately 13,000 people, with 14 communities in the region. All the communities are fly-in only.

Elsewhere in Quebec, another four regions (Bas-Saint-Laurent, le Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, the Mauricie and the Centre-du-Québec) were moved to “green zones” the lowest COVID-19 alert level in the province.

Write to Eilís Quinn at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca 

Related stories from around the North:

CanadaArctic Tourism and the Pandemic podcast, Eye on the Arctic

Finland: How not to promote Arctic tourism – Why Finland’s Indigenous Sami say marketing their region needs to change, Eye on the Arctic

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic

Eilís Quinn is an award-winning journalist and manages Radio Canada International’s Eye on the Arctic news cooperation project. Eilís has reported from the Arctic regions of all eight circumpolar countries and has produced numerous documentary and multimedia series about climate change and the issues facing Indigenous peoples in the North.

Her investigative report "Death in the Arctic: A community grieves, a father fights for change," about the murder of Robert Adams, a 19-year-old Inuk man from Arctic Quebec, received the silver medal for “Best Investigative Article or Series” at the 2019 Canadian Online Publishing Awards. The project also received an honourable mention for excellence in reporting on trauma at the 2019 Dart Awards in New York City.

Her report “The Arctic Railway: Building a future or destroying a culture?” on the impact a multi-billion euro infrastructure project would have on Indigenous communities in Arctic Europe was a finalist at the 2019 Canadian Association of Journalists award in the online investigative category.

Her multimedia project on the health challenges in the Canadian Arctic, "Bridging the Divide," was a finalist at the 2012 Webby Awards.

Her work on climate change in the Arctic has also been featured on the TV science program Découverte, as well as Le Téléjournal, the French-Language CBC’s flagship news cast.

Eilís has worked for media organizations in Canada and the United States and as a TV host for the Discovery/BBC Worldwide series "Best in China."

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