Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. As I mentioned in my statement, the importance of the Beaufort DeltaYukon connection and that we want clear answers, not statistics. I would like to ask the Minister what risk measurements are being used to make decisions around border restrictions and movement of people of the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr.Speaker. Mr. Speaker, under the Public Health Act, the Chief public health officer has the authority to make recommendations to me about travel, and they are then written into public health orders and enforced at this point by the COVID Secretariat. So it's a process that begins with the Chief Public Health Officer and ends up with me signing off.
The issue about the travel exemption with the Yukon doesn't have to do with risk assessment. It has to do with verification of people being vaccinated. So the Yukon and BC have a common medical record system, but ours is different than theirs. And so there's been some negotiations underway about how to share information between the NWT and the Yukon to verify that people have, in fact, been vaccinated. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just, maybe a offer some advice. Would it be easier for the person who's travelling in to have a copy of their record and would that be sufficient, as right now if we don't have an agreement? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, thank you. I'm sure that that would be useful to if you had a copy of your own if you had your own immunization. But the information sharing would open it up to everyone without them having to obtain paper that indicates that they have been vaccinated.
These discussions are well along, and I heard the Chief Public Health Officer say on the radio yesterday that she expected them to conclude shortly.
I just want to add one more thing, and that is that the situation between ourselves and Yukon is what the whole world is now grappling with, with immunization records, how do we create a system that is private but effective and indicating immunization to other countries when we decide to travel internationally again.
So this is a live issue at the moment, and we are seeing it right here with the travel exemption to Yukon. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, I mean, we've been travelling all over the world before COVID, and there are vaccinations that we need to have in order to enter some countries. And we as a past public health nurse, I've provided these vaccines and given them their records, and they've been able to enter these countries. I don't understand why we can't go from Yukon to the Northwest Territories or vice versa.
So I'm just going to move on. And what you know, has there been any discussion about a temporary absence right now that could provide Beaufort Delta residents to go into the Yukon for at least maybe 72 hours without having to isolate on coming home.
We have no road access into Yellowknife. So those people that are not from the region may not realize that. And there's no possible way we can go anywhere else in 72 hours if we have to be back across the border. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's my understanding that the CPHO is working on a travel exemption which would provide access to the Yukon that would be not time limited. I'm not aware of any work being done on a timelimited option. Thank you.
Thank you. Final Supplementary. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The only reason I'm asking for the time limit is there's ongoing work and if maybe if this discussion could happen that some of our residents could travel and get what they need to do, pick up vehicles that have been there since November, months ago, because, like I said, it's our lifeline. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly will make sure that the CPHO hears that suggestion. And, of course, we appreciate the fact that people would like to get to Whitehorse and go shopping, pick up their vehicles and so on. And we look forward to making that happen as soon as possible. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.
