Inuvik school closed by Covid-19 outbreak, all attendees must isolate

The NWT government says it has now ordered the closure of Inuvik’s East Three Elementary School after the number of Covid-19 cases associated with the school rose to 11.

The order was given on Sunday and will close the school to in-person learning for at least 10 days. An outbreak at the school had been declared a day earlier, when the number of related cases stood at six.

Nine of the cases confirmed by Sunday evening are “in school-aged children,” the territorial government said.

All extracurricular activities in Inuvik for youth aged under 12, whether school-related or not, are now cancelled until the public health order expires.

“All East Three elementary staff and students are required to isolate, regardless of vaccination status,” a statement from acting deputy chief public health officer Dr James Talbot read.

“Currently all staff and students at East Three Elementary School are considered close contacts. Public health officials will notify you if you are not a staff or student but are considered a close contact for any other reason.”

An exposure notice for East Three that affected three grades on Saturday has now been updated to include the entire school.

On Saturday, Dr Talbot said six cases of the disease had been reported affecting one Grade 4 class, both Grade 5 classes, and one Grade 6 class.

The exposure dates listed for the school range from Wednesday, November 3 to Friday, November 5.

Talbot said national data suggested “children remain at low risk of severe symptoms” but were capable of spreading the virus responsible for Covid-19.

Inuvik had reported seven active cases of Covid-19 as of Friday – a number that has not been updated on the weekend – and a total of 28 confirmed cases in the town since the current NWT-wide Delta-variant outbreak began in August.