Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Happy New Year. This is the end of the fiscal year and the end of the public health emergency.
Mr. Speaker, as you know it's been two years since we declared a public health emergency in the Northwest Territories and doing so disrupted the lives of NWT residents, along with people around the world, and they have been disrupted again and again by public health orders restricting travel and gatherings, closing schools to inperson learning, sending workers home, and preventing nonresidents free movement across our borders all to prevent the spread of COVID19, Mr. Speaker.
Some residents have suffered serious illness and have been hospitalized. Sadly, 21 NWT residents have died, including elders and knowledgekeepers. I grieve with those who have lost loved ones.
The pandemic has taken a toll on the physical and mental health of many NWT residents. At the same time, it has also shown how resilient and kind Northerners are. During community outbreaks, neighbors, friends, and strangers stepped up to help one another by bringing food to those in isolation and offering other kinds of support where it was needed.
Mr. Speaker, I want to sincerely thank all healthcare workers across the NWT. We are so grateful for their ongoing efforts over the course of this pandemic. Their work to manage every outbreak, deliver vaccines to every community, offer testing services to those who needed it, provide care for residents with more serious infections, and step up to be redeployed and offer their expertise when and where it was needed, they did all of this and I thank them.
When this pandemic began, we had a limited understanding of this virus, and with no vaccine or treatment available we had to take urgent action to manage the spread and prevent the health system from being overwhelmed. Once declared, the public health emergency enabled us to make decisions quickly about public health measures that would help keep us safe. It enabled the chief public health officer to issue orders to protect residents and minimize risk to the public. These orders included
travel restrictions;
mandated isolation for those infected or at risk of being infected;
limiting the size of public gatherings;
implemented infection control with physical distancing protocols; and,
minimized the potential for outbreaks within highrisk populations such as longterm care facilities.
We also established a compliance, education and enforcement task force to respond to complaints, and investigate when orders weren't followed or when the public was at risk.
As part of our early warning surveillance strategy, we were one of the first jurisdictions in Canada to implement a wastewater surveillance program that later garnered international recognition. We have used wastewater signals to inform public health actions such as targeted testing of travellers. We also added the COVID19 school screening program and the DetectNWT program for businesses to prevent and reduce the spread of COVID19 in both schools and businesses.
Mr. Speaker, the NWT launched the largest and most comprehensive vaccine program in the territory's history at the end of 2020, targeting highrisk populations before expanding to everyone else. By April 2021, vaccine teams had visited all NWT communities at least twice. We were also one of the first to roll out third doses and to vaccinate 12 to 17 yearolds. I am very proud of our efforts.
Today, four out of five eligible NWT residents are vaccinated and half over the age of 18 have had a booster shot.
Mr. Speaker, the public health measures taken by the GNWT have been guided by the most current scientific evidence, intended to save lives, and implemented to ensure that our health system could continue to function and respond. Now the data is showing us that the time is right to end the public health emergency.
With most of the population vaccinated and treatments available to lessen the severity of COVID infections, we are transitioning from a broad territorywide emergency response to a continuous readiness approach that ensures our health system remains ready to respond to outbreaks, protect highrisk populations, and support communities with readiness planning. With a better understanding of COVID19 and more tools in our toolbox, the public health emergency will end tomorrow.
To maintain readiness, we have transferred some resources from the COVID19 Coordinating Secretariat to other GNWT departments. These resources include 811, wastewater testing, and communications, education and enforcement.
Mr. Speaker, the end of public health emergency means that we are moving away from public health orders and encouraging residents, businesses, and organizations to manage their own risk and make their own choices. Effective tomorrow, there will no longer be a requirement for masking, testing, or to report positive COVID cases. In addition, all travel restrictions will be removed and selfisolation plans will no longer be required. Isolation will no longer be mandatory but recommended.
We expect to see an increase in COVID cases because the pandemic is not over. It is simply entering a new phase.
I will conclude by asking all NWT residents to be considerate of each other's choices when it comes to COVID and to be patient and compassionate as we all adjust to another round of changes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Best Minister statement ever.
Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
