New COVID-19 case identified in Rankin Inlet, but risk to community remains low

A case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, but health officials say the risk to the community remains low.

In a Friday news release, the territory's acting chief public health officer, Dr. Rosann Seviour, said the infected person is now in isolation and contract tracing has been completed.

"The individual arrived in the community on [Tuesday], Sept.7 from Southern Canada and was working in Nunavut with a vaccine exemption," said Seviour in the release.

"The new case is unrelated to the previous case identified on August 29."

The release says no changes will be made to public health measures. Currently, masks are mandatory in all public spaces in the community.

Exposure notice for flights

Though the risk of transmission is low, an exposure notice was issued for passengers ontwo flights on Tuesday, Sept. 7.

• Canadian North Flight 300 from Winnipeg to Rankin Inlet.
• Calm Air Flight 232 from Rankin Inlet to Naujaat (though the plane did not land there; it was turned back due to weather).

"Everyone on the flights should monitor for symptoms for 14 days (September 21) and anyone who develops symptoms must isolate immediately and call the hotline for testing," reads the release.

The notice has special instructions forthose in rows 3 to 9 on the Canadian North Flightand those in the lastfour rows of the Calm Air Flight.

Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals in those seats are asked to call the COVID-hotline at 1-888-975-8601 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET to arrange for testing.Vaccinated individuals may call for testing 72 hours after the flight.

Nunavut has had 658 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic,according to the government website which was last updated on Sept.7.Of those, 653 have recovered and four people have died.

The only other active case in the territory is also in Rankin Inlet.

The infected individual is not a Nunavut resident, so the case will not be counted in Nunavut.