Three Covid-19 outbreaks in YK locations, more exposure notices

Localized Covid-19 outbreaks have been declared at the Yellowknife Montessori School, the Yellowknife Women’s Centre, and at the City Cab taxi firm.

Meanwhile, 12 more exposure notifications were issued, all of them in Yellowknife. A full update on the pandemic in the Northwest Territories is expected later on Tuesday evening.

Announcements of localized outbreaks, where one or more people have Covid-19 at a particular workplace or institution, have become more common in the territory this month.

There are two confirmed cases at the Yellowknife Montessori School’s Casa and pre-school location at 5212 52 Street. Exposure notifications for that facility are as follows:

• Monday, October 4 and Tuesday, October 5 from 8:30am until 3pm
• Wednesday, October 6 from 10am until 3pm
• Thursday, October 7 from 8:30am until 3pm

There are two confirmed cases at the Yellowknife Women’s Centre. The centre’s exposure notification affects daytime hours from Thursday, October 7 to Monday, October 11.

City Cab carries exposure warnings for its building on these dates:

• Wednesday, September 29 from 5am to 5pm
• Thursday, September 30 from 6am to 6pm
• Friday, October 1 from 5am until 5pm
• Each day from Monday, October 4 to Wednesday, October 6 from 5am to 5pm

In all three instances, public health officials were said to be following up with all known contacts. If you think you should have been contacted but have heard nothing, isolate immediately, arrange for testing, and contact Yellowknife Public Health at (867) 767-9120.

The NWT’s chief public health officer, Dr Kami Kandola, said in an update the territorial government will not close licensed childcare centres if “there is an ability to contain the outbreak on site through effective contact tracing.”

Since the beginning of August, there have been more than 200 confirmed cases in NWT children under the age of 12 – who are not yet eligible for a vaccine.

Other Yellowknife exposure notices

All other exposure notifications published on Tuesday carried have the same advice no matter your vaccination status: monitor for symptoms and, if they occur, isolate and arrange for testing.

The following locations have exposure notices:

• Glen’s Independent Grocer downtown on Tuesday, October 5 between 5:30pm and 6pm and Saturday, October 9 between 11:30am and noon
• Home Hardware on Wednesday, October 6 between 6:30pm and 7pm
• Shoppers Drug Mart on Wednesday, October 6 from 5pm to 5:30pm
• Walmart on Wednesday, October 6 between 6pm and 7pm
• Yellowknife Co-op on Wednesday, October 6 between 8am and 1pm and Friday, October 8 between 7am and 3:30pm
• Mark’s Work Warehouse on Thursday, October 7 between 7pm and 7:30pm
• Rochdi’s Independent Grocer on Old Airport Road on Friday, October 8 between 1pm and 2pm
• Yellowknife Primary Care Clinic on Friday, October 8 between 1:45pm and 2:45pm
• Canada Post downtown on Friday, October 8 between 12:30pm and 1pm

All public exposure notices issued by the territorial government can be found on its website.