Effective March 24, 2020, the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA), Paulie Chinna, declared a territory-wide  State of Emergency under the Emergency Management Act to support ongoing efforts to protect public health in the Northwest Territories.

There have been many questions about the residents of northern Alberta communities who rely on Fort Smith for essential services.

Access to Essential Services Maintained

Smith’s Landing and Fort Fitzgerald residents are restricted from entering the NWT except to receive the following essential services in Fort Smith:

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) R.J. Simpson met with Northwest Territories (NWT) Education Leaders and the Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association (NWTTA) via teleconference on Tuesday, March 24 to discuss the status of JK-12 education in the territory as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency.

Government of the Northwest Territories departments are working together with community governments and other organizations and agencies to monitor and respond to potential threats to public safety, communities and critical infrastructure in the Northwest Territories.

To that effect, an agreement aimed at providing reassurance to Northwest Territories (NWT) residents, and ensure there are no disruptions to electricity services in the North during the COVID-19 pandemic, was signed late last week.

The Government of the Northwest Territories advises that Highway 7, the Liard Highway, will be closed to all traffic at 5:00pm on Tuesday March 24, 2020. The highway will be closed beginning at kilometre 1 and extending to kilometre 5.

The Minister of Health and Social Services, Diane Thom, is announcing the following adjustments to health and social services operations that create new pathways to access care, while also enhancing social distancing. These steps are being taken to ensure the health system can reserve and reallocate existing resources, protect our vulnerable populations, and reduce potential for spread and exposure for our staff and the public.

Starting immediately the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) will:

Effective immediately, NWT Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola has ordered all travel into the Northwest Territories prohibited with limited exceptions to combat COVID-19 in the territory.

This order is made under the NWT’s Public Health Act, using the additional powers granted to the Chief Public Health Officer during a Public Health Emergency.

Good afternoon.

Today, our territory confirmed its first case of COVID-19.

First of all, I’d like to echo Premier Cochrane’s message of support to those affected.

These things are hard — for the individuals who contract the virus, for friends, for families, and for our communities.

Our thoughts are with you. And so too are our actions.

Good afternoon. Late last night our public health officials confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the Northwest Territories.

This is hard news to share and I want to express my concern and sympathy for the people affected by this and let them know that the Government of the Northwest Territories is going to do everything we can to support them in this difficult time.

To the people of the Northwest Territories, I want to say that we knew this day would come and the GNWT has been working hard so that we would be prepared when it did.

NWT Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola is preparing to make an order effective March 21, 2020 prohibiting all travel (by air, land, and port) into the Northwest Territories, with limited exceptions, to combat COVID-19 in the territory.

Furthermore, Dr. Kandola will also order those returning to the territory, to self-isolate in Yellowknife, Fort Smith, Hay River, or Inuvik.     

This measure will be required to ensure protection of residents of our smallest communities as people return north.