Yellowknife — December 16, 2021
With an expected increase in travel and out of town visitors expected this holiday season, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) will be expanding the COVID-19 At-Home Student Screening Program.
Schools that volunteered and opted into the program will send students home with five (5) COVID-19 self-test kits before the holiday break begins. It is recommended that parents, guardians, and caregivers test their child the day before returning to school in the new year. The rest of the tests can be used by anyone in the household at any point over the break.
This is a voluntary program designed to help keep children and families safe over the holidays. It will help to ensure in class learning can resume safely in the New Year. There is no longer an obligation for test results to be reported as part of the previous pilot program. However, if a positive test result occurs, that individual must stay home and contact public health for instructions on next steps.
This is a program designed as an early warning system to detect asymptomatic cases and prevent outbreaks in NWT schools and classrooms.
These tests do not always detect COVID-19 and can lead to false negatives. This is why monitoring for symptoms is very important. Even if you have tested negative recently, if you develop symptoms you should immediately go to a testing facility and be re-tested, then follow the direction provided by the health care provider.
If you receive COVID-19 tests from your school, please review the instructions and guidance included.
Additional plans are underway to expand the availability of COVID-19 rapid tests in greater quantities in the near future. Details on those plans will be announced as soon as possible.
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“The arrival of the Omicron variant reminds us that this pandemic is not over, and we need to continue to do our part to protect our communities from the virus. The expansion of the program will allow parents to test their kids in advance of returning to school in January. This is just another layer of protection that we can help to limit the spread of the virus in the Northwest Territories and ensure we can continue to move forward with easing restrictions and moving towards a return to normalcy.”
Caroline Cochrane, Premier of the Northwest Territories, Minister Responsible for the COVID-19 Coordinating Secretariat
“The at home school screening program has been one of the tools we have used to try to detect COVID-19 infections in children prior to entering the classroom. The expansion of this program over the holiday season can help ensure the safety of students upon their return to school in the New Year.”
- Dr. Kami Kandola, Chief Public Health Officer of the Northwest Territories
Quick Facts:
- The GNWT will be distributing over 15 000 COVID-19 self-test kits to students to support this effort.
- Every community in the NWT has COVID-19 testing capacity, anyone who is symptomatic should get tested by their healthcare provider.
Related Links
For media requests, please contact:
COVID Communications
COVID Coordinating Secretariat
Government of the Northwest Territories