More COVID-19 cases found in North; Nunavut shuts some schools, mandates masks

Canada

It’s prompted the chief public health officer to close the Kivalliq region’s schools, make masks mandatory in public and restrict flights starting Sunday.

Dr. Michael Patterson says an Arviat resident returned to the town of about 2,600 earlier this month after spending 14 days in mandatory isolation in a Winnipeg hotel.

Seven days after returning home, the person became ill and was medevaced to Winnipeg, where a COVID-19 test came back positive.

Patterson says an earlier positive case in Rankin Inlet, also in the Kivalliq region, completed isolation in Winnipeg as well and has a similar travel history to the Arviat case.

He says the common travel history is concerning, but it’s not yet certain how the two were exposed to the novel coronavirus after isolating.

Nunavut had been free of COVID-19 throughout the pandemic until two weeks ago.

A statement from the N.W.T.’s chief public health officer, Kami Kondala, says all contacts have been identified and there is no risk to the public.