Health and social services minister Diane Thom declared a public health emergency over the COVID-19 threat March 18.

The declaration, recommended by Chief Public Health Officer Kami Kandola, will be in effect until April 1.

It gives Kandola broad powers to respond to the epidemic, including legally-binding orders and travel restrictions, to SA国际影视传媒渢ake any reasonable measure considered necessary to protect public health,SA国际影视传媒� stated a government news release.

Kandola may now give legally binding orders to individuals and organizations, such as business, governments, agencies and nonprofits, it stated.

As a result, she can order SA国际影视传媒渕ajor changesSA国际影视传媒� to travel into the territory, make individuals self-isolate, and, call business to put emergency measures in place, it stated.

While there have been no directives under the public health emergency, they would be based on what services the business provided and how it could potentially put the public at risk, Kandola told reporters Wednesday.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e doing it now and quickly so weSA国际影视传媒檙e not faced with a complete shutdown of all businesses,SA国际影视传媒� she said. 

She also may:

•    authorize qualified people to provide additional aid and services as needed;
•    expedite emergency licensing of additional health care providers;
•    coordinate and provide for the delivery of medical services;
•    procure and provide for the distribution of medical supplies and equipment across the     NWT

Kandola said in a statement that the decision was based off the SA国际影视传媒渓atest medical information across the country, and a careful consideration of the Northwest TerritoriesSA国际影视传媒� unique situation.SA国际影视传媒�

Public health emergencies may last up to 14 days, but if the threat remains Kandola can re-declare the emergency as often as necessary.

Her efforts are currently focusing on the next 60 days, which the news release described as the "most crucial" period in the territory's response to the virus.

Also in the statement, Thom said SA国际影视传媒渘othing is off-the-tableSA国际影视传媒� in the governmentSA国际影视传媒檚 response to the pandemic.

Virus SA国际影视传媒渋nevitableSA国际影视传媒� in NWT, Kandola says

Premier Caroline Cochrane told reporters on Wednesday that the government's steps may seem SA国际影视传媒渄ramatic,SA国际影视传媒� but were necessary to lessen the impact of the virus. Thom similarly said the actions werenSA国际影视传媒檛 SA国际影视传媒渇earful,SA国际影视传媒� but proactive and that tests were being speedily administered.

There have 153 test results received so far, all negative, as of Wednesday afternoon. There are another 119 pending. Transport challenges to Alberta are the cause behind the length between test and results, territorial medical director Dr. Sarah Cook said.

As Yukon and Nunavut both declared emergencies alongside NWT, Kandola said SA国际影视传媒渟peed trumps perfectionSA国际影视传媒� and that the best way forward was to exercise her authority. 

That can be key for remote communities, she said, where the government aims to expand virtual care through commercial apps to tamp down on travel.

Small communities with crowded households, and limited healthcare resources and nursing staff were in particular risk, she said. If COVID-19 is introduced in small communities, it could spread quickly, she said. 

In that case, A small number of cases could overwhelm capacity of NWTSA国际影视传媒檚 hospitals, she said. That meant having to slow the spread to avoid spreading resources too thin.

Cook, the territorial medical director, said there were six ICU beds at Stanton Territorial Hospital. There are also 13 ventilators, including ambulance transport ventilators. 

If the territorySA国际影视传媒檚 need overwhelms its ventilator capacity, residents would be able to use Alberta services, she said.  Similarly, the government is looking to expand its call-in capacity for concerned residents facing a significant backlog. 

Originally, GNWT looked to partner with Alberta 811 for assistance, but it was also overwhelmed. Currently, itSA国际影视传媒檚 aiming to increase the number of staff answering calls and expand to email.

As NWT prepares for what she called an SA国际影视传媒渋nevitableSA国际影视传媒� appearance of the virus, Kandola advised residents to practice health guidelines and stay informed. 

SA国际影视传媒淵ou donSA国际影视传媒檛 want to be the one person that introduces COVID-19 into a small community, with devastating consequences,SA国际影视传媒� Kandola said.