Diane Thom, minister of health and social services, has once again extended the territory-wide public health emergency on the advice of Chief Public Health Officer Kami Kandola.
The latest extension runs until Sept. 1, 2020, according to a Tuesday news release.
In the release, the department of Health and Social Services said that the public health emergency remains necessary to respond to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
With over 900 NWT residents going into self-isolation last week as they return to the territory, the department has stated that re-introduction is most likely to occur as a result of travel from places with community transmission of the virus.
“We remain intimately connected to the rest of Canada,” the release stated. “The risk to the NWT remains significant as increases in cases in southern Canada continue to grow,” they said.
The GNWT reminds the public that self-isolation is key in our defense against Covid-19 and that everyone entering the territory is required to isolate for 14 days. Even travel within the territory is restricted during your self-isolation period.
"Taking responsibility for ourselves is crucial. By keeping physical distance of two metres, keeping our circles and gatherings small, washing our hands, keeping our coughs and sneezes to ourselves, and wearing non-medical masks when it’s difficult to keep physical distance will help keep everyone safer by preventing cases from becoming outbreaks."