The territory's public health authority is maintaining recommendations for social distancing even though the NWT Medical Association is advocating for balancing harms of that practice with the risk of harm from Covid-19.

SA国际影视传媒�Based on all information we have available, it is our belief that physical distancing is a best practice which NWT residents should be following to protect themselves, and protect each other SA国际影视传媒� much like wearing a seatbelt while in a moving vehicle,SA国际影视传媒� said Mike Westwick, a spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO), following a meeting with the NWT Medical Association last week.

The meeting followed the release of an open letter in which territorial medical professionals called attention to the increase in anxiety, depression, domestic violence, substance abuse, financial stress and other harmful effects that public health orders like social distancing are causing in the territory. 

NWT Medical Association president Dr. Andrew Kotaska said the purpose of the meeting was "to bring the experiences and concerns of physicians on the front lines who are seeing patients to the attention of public officials and health administrators who arenSA国际影视传媒檛 necessarily confronted with them. We all want to be cautious. We donSA国际影视传媒檛 want to make missteps, but we also have to be conscious that the balance starts to shift as harm from social distancing measures accumulate.SA国际影视传媒�

Kotaska pointed to the similarities in the associationSA国际影视传媒檚 letter to NWTSA国际影视传媒檚 office of the CPHO and an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister and 13 provincial and territorial Premiers from infectious disease specialists, former health officials, and medical academics across the country. 

dated July 6, calls for SA国际影视传媒渁 balanced approach to dealing with Covid-19,SA国际影视传媒� and states that current measures carry SA国际影视传媒渟ignificant risks to overall population health.SA国际影视传媒�

Furthermore, SA国际影视传媒渁iming to prevent or contain every case of Covid-19 is simply no longer sustainable at this stage in the pandemic,SA国际影视传媒� the letter reads.

According to Kotaska, having SA国际影视传媒渟ome of the most respected academic and professional infectious disease people in the countrySA国际影视传媒� highlighting the same message as the NWT Medical Association SA国际影视传媒渓et's us know that weSA国际影视传媒檙e not alone in struggling with these questions and the balance.SA国际影视传媒� 

The medical association and the Office of the CPHO will continue to have conversations to SA国际影视传媒渆stablish a plan that is optimal for the overall health (of NWT residents), not just (prevent) the physical harm from the Covid virus, which, so far, thankfully, has been very limited,SA国际影视传媒� said Kotaska. SA国际影视传媒淭his disease is going to be with us for years. We really have to realize that preventing any infection at all cost isnSA国际影视传媒檛 a reasonable approach. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 likely that this is going to come in, and that wonSA国际影视传媒檛 be a failure of public health measures.SA国际影视传媒� 

In their meeting, Kotaska emphasized there was much that the association and CPHOSA国际影视传媒檚 office agreed on, too. They concurred that border entrance restrictions and isolation measures for incoming travellers and residents have been key to limiting Covid in the territory.  

Westwick echoed those areas of SA国际影视传媒渟hared values of protecting and promoting physical, emotional, and cultural health and wellbeing in the Northwest Territories.SA国际影视传媒� Though he added that disagreement is natural SA国际影视传媒渨ith these kinds of rapidly-evolving issues.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒�These discussions are healthy,SA国际影视传媒� Westwick said in an email. SA国际影视传媒淧olicy should never be made in a bubble. And we see this as part of an important, ongoing dialogue with practitioners across the territory.SA国际影视传媒�

Kotaska said all stakeholders at last weekSA国际影视传媒檚 meeting SA国际影视传媒渟hare a gratitude for the enormous amount of work done by the office of the CPHO, and the slew of community workers who have spent countless hours building a system to keep Covid from entering the NWT, to prevent the spread of the virus when it arrives, and care for the patients that we might have.SA国际影视传媒�

He explained that their critiques do not diminish that gratitude, and he noted that in the Covid era there is no model for how best to move forward.

SA国际影视传媒淓verybody is making it up,SA国际影视传媒� he said.