The Office of the Chief Public Health Officer (OCPHO) announced in a press conference on January 4, 2022, that there have been approximately 200 new cases of COVID-19 recorded across the territory since New Year’s Eve and active cases in Yellowknife, Behchokǫ̀ and Whatì. These cases are assumed to be the highly infectious Omicron virus. It is also expected that over 6000 people are returning to the NWT after the holiday break. In order to help reduce the strain on the health care system and avoid longer term disruptions the OCPHO tightened gathering restrictions territory wide. These new restrictions will be in place until at least January 22, 2022.
Effective January 5, 2022, the Tłı̨chǫ Government is temporarily moving all offices in the communities of Yellowknife, Behchokǫ̀ and Whatì into Stage 1 of the Returning to the Workplace Plan. Specifically, this means:
- Tłı̨chǫ Government offices will be closed to the public.
- ONLY essential and time critical staff will be allowed to work from the office.
- There will also be no indoor or outdoor gatherings.
- All duty travel is suspended. The only exception will be for the provision of essential or time critical services.
Out of an abundance of caution, effective January 5th the Tłı̨chǫ Government is temporarily moving all offices in the communities of Wekweètì and Gamètì into Stage 2 of the Returning to the Workplace Plan. Specifically, this means:
- Tłı̨chǫ Government Offices will be closed to the public.
- All non-essential workers will still be expected to work from home whenever possible. However, some non-essential workers will be allowed to return to the office where social distancing measures can be maintained.
- Meetings and programs in-doors of no more than 5 participants are allowed as long as social distancing measures can be maintained.
- Outdoor gatherings are permitted to a maximum of 25 people.
- All duty travel is suspended. The only exception will be for the provision of essential or time critical services.
Early Childhood programs will continue to operate for children of essential and time critical workers, but all other children must stay home.
To align ourselves with enhanced restrictions in the territory to help minimize the risk of infection and pressures on the health system, measures will remain in effect until January 22, 2022 and may be extended or changed as necessary. The Tłı̨chǫ Government continues to closely monitor the situation and will provide updates and notice of any changes to these orders as the situation unfolds.
Getting vaccinated and practicing the fundamentals is the best protection against the COVID-19 virus. Remember to:
- Use the self-screening tool prior to arriving at the office and monitor for symptoms
- Stay at home when you are sick
- Get tested for COVID-19 if you display symptoms
- Wash your hands or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer frequently
- Cover your cough/sneeze
- Maintain physical distancing
For more public health information about COVID-19 please visit:
https://www.gov.nt.ca/covid-19/
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact: Jannell Beadle at (867) 492-4878.
