Chief public health officer Dr. Kami Kandola said Wednesday the NWT has a path to the next stage of the Covid-19 recovery plan but warned the pandemic is actually worsening globally.

There have been no active cases in the NWT for weeks but new infections continue to be reported daily in other parts of Canada. Nunavut, which had been virus free until earlier this month, has its first presumptive case.

Kandola said there are a few scenarios that could lead to a return to stricter public health orders in an individual community, a region or the entire territory, even temporarily.

SA国际影视传媒�What would cause us some concern is when we start to see evidence of community spread and we donSA国际影视传媒檛 know where that source is.SA国际影视传媒�

In addition to a breakdown in contact tracing, the other possible trigger for going back a phase are cluster outbreaks. Cluster outbreaks are where several cases of infection occur in one place within a short time frame and thus have the potential to overwhelm the health system.

In those cases, Kandola says restrictions are likely to be placed on specific communities or regions experiencing the outbreak. 

SA国际影视传媒淚f there are two or more communities in a region [experiencing community spread] the region gets isolated," she explained. "If it's just one community, the community gets isolated. If there are two or more regions [with serious outbreaks] then we would have to consider a territorial approach.SA国际影视传媒�  

Even in those scenarios, she says SA国际影视传媒渋t wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 be forever. 

SA国际影视传媒淚f we could try to decrease any secondary infection, once we feel that weSA国际影视传媒檝e passed that high risk period we would go back to our regular phase.SA国际影视传媒�

Kandola says that NWT is in a good spot, and that while there are no antivirals and no vaccines, the public health measures are all we have. These public health measures SA国际影视传媒� physical distancing, wearing a mask, keeping social circles small, sticking to the outdoors as much as possible SA国际影视传媒� are ways we can all contribute to slowing CovidSA国际影视传媒檚 spread. 

SA国际影视传媒�With all those in place, a measured approach for a reopening is the best approach so we donSA国际影视传媒檛 get thrown back into containment and can stay as open as much as possible with these public health measures in place,SA国际影视传媒� she says. SA国际影视传媒淎s opposed to being in a scenario like the U.S, where you open too quickly and now youSA国际影视传媒檙e back into containment. The last thing I want is for us to go back into containment.SA国际影视传媒�

As people in NWT continue to enjoy the summer, Dr. Kandola urges that as much as possible people try to spend their time outdoors. 

SA国际影视传媒淭he more and more we understand about Covid-19, [the more we see that] thereSA国际影视传媒檚 a very significant decrease in risk with outdoors physical distancing,SA国际影视传媒� she says. SA国际影视传媒淲hen weSA国际影视传媒檙e outdoors in a safe manner the risk is a lot lower than in indoor settings.SA国际影视传媒�

NWT right now is in phase two, a considerable way from MarchSA国际影视传媒檚 containment phase and even phase one, which we entered May 15. 

But for every measure Dr. Kandola takes to relax restrictions, she cautions SA国际影视传媒渨e are still in a state of pandemic, and that pandemic is actually worse off.

SA国际影视传媒�People have to understand weSA国际影视传媒檙e in a pandemic and the virus spreads quickly, it spreads easily, and it can spread when people have no symptoms,SA国际影视传媒� she says. SA国际影视传媒淏ack in March when I first put in my travel restrictions order, internationally we werenSA国际影视传媒檛 seeing 200,000 cases a day and now we are, so weSA国际影视传媒檝e actually eased up as the pandemic has worsened worldwide.SA国际影视传媒�

Kandola points to the H1N1 and Spanish Flu pandemics for patterns in spread. In both cases, there was a small first wave during spring, a large outbreak in the fall, and then a subsequent smaller wave again the following spring. 

She says that Canada is expecting its second wave in the fall, as people head back to school, back to work and spend more time indoors where the risk of transmission is higher. With the enforcement of public health measures like social distancing and mask wearing, especially in densely populated urbanized areas, she hopes that NWT can continue to stay in phase two. 

SA国际影视传媒淥ur biggest risk is specifically travel right now,SA国际影视传媒� Kandola says. SA国际影视传媒淪o if we see that second wave across Canada being decreased, that means we could stay in phase two as much as possible, and if we miss the second wave SA国际影视传媒� we donSA国际影视传媒檛 have a large second wave SA国际影视传媒� we could perhaps even open up to phase three.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒�So if across Canada, provinces and territories are working hard to decrease localized spread that would be a good scenario for NWT,SA国际影视传媒� she says.

Even in cases where travellers are bringing Covid into NWT, Kandola explains that as long as SA国际影视传媒渢hey self-isolated 14 days, and through contact tracing we were able to pick up anyone who was exposed and isolate them, and minimize the threat of this travel case to any others that they meet at close contact, that wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 cause us to go back a phase because thatSA国际影视传媒檚 basically a travel related case that we were able to contain."