The NWT will not be starting a travel bubble with Yukon.
Instead, the territory is planning to allow exemptions for certain travellers on a case-by-case basis, like the current arrangement with Nunavut.
NWT’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Kami Kandola ruled out a travel bubble with the Yukon in a press conference on Wednesday.
Nunavut did have a travel bubble with the Northwest Territories, which was suspended back in November after an outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in several Nunavut communities.
The bubble, which was implemented back in June, had allowed travellers from Nunavut to travel within NWT without self-isolating for 14 days.
Travellers from Nunavut still have to submit a self-isolation plan, and apply for exemptions through Protect NWT.
NWT’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Kami Kandola says the plan is to have the exemptions work similarly with Yukon.
Part of why the exemptions were reintroduced was because not every community has the same risk of spreading the virus, said Kandola.
“With Nunavut, even though they have an outbreak that’s ongoing in Arviat, the remaining Nunavut communities are really low risk,” she said in a press conference on Wednesday.
Kandola says it will allow communities on the border between NWT and Yukon, which residents frequently travel between, to become more accessible.
The GNWT is currently in discussions with the Yukon territorial government, but no changes have been confirmed yet.
