NWT deputy premier and Inuvik Boot Lake MLA Diane Archie says she is isolating after her row on a Canadian North flight turned up in a Covid-19 exposure advisory.
In a news release on Tuesday afternoon, Archie said she was on flight 5T 244 on Saturday, April 24. The flight was subsequently the subject of an exposure warning – first issued on Monday, then amended on Tuesday – as a person with Covid-19 was on board.
“Unfortunately, I was on that flight and was seated in one of the affected rows, meaning I was potentially exposed to Covid-19. As soon as I was aware of this I started self-isolating,” Archie said in a statement.
Archie, who is also the NWT’s infrastructure minister, said she has already tested negative once and will be tested again on Thursday morning.
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“I have also been told that there is no chance of transmission to anyone I may have been in contact with since returning to Inuvik this past weekend,” she said.
“It is an uneasy feeling being told I may have been exposed to Covid-19 and that the virus is in Inuvik, but I take comfort in the fact that the public health orders that are in place have been working for over a year. I am confident that if we all continue to follow the public health measures, we can help decrease the spread of the virus across our territory, and eventually get back to doing the things we love.”
Archie encouraged residents to get vaccinated, adding: “Though I received a negative test result, I am not out of the woods yet. I will continue to do my part to keep my family, friends and community safe and will follow all instructions from public health.”
