The Government of Nunavut announced five new cases of COVID-19 in the territory on Thursday.
All of them are in Arviat, the territory’s hardest-hit community, which now counts 68 active cases of the virus.
But the GN also delivered some good news: all the COVID-19 cases in Rankin Inlet have recovered.
Whale Cove is the only other community with active cases, with seven.
Overall, Nunavut has 75 active cases of COVID-19, while 123 cases are now considered recovered.
“While Rankin Inlet has successfully flattened the COVID-19 curve, I ask residents there to remain strict in their commitment to continue on this path and follow the current public health restrictions,” said Dr. Michael Patterson, Nunavut’s chief public health officer, in a news release.
“COVID-19 is not over in Nunavut.”
The territory just emerged from a two-week lockdown that was in place between Nov. 18 and Dec. 2. Arviat remains in lockdown.
Across Canada, more than 315,000 cases have been reported since March when the pandemic began.
In March, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. In Nunavut, Nunavik and across the country, public health officials have encouraged physical distancing, hand-washing and wearing masks in public places as measures people should take to prevent the spread of the disease.
