The Yellowknife ski club is set to be turned into a temporary isolation centre as the GNWT looks for new locations to accommodate the large number of people who need to isolate.
Health Minister Julie Green said the shelter would be up and running this week, as would Yellowknife’s community arena which will also be used – after being offered by the city.
She added the ski club was for people who are advised to isolate, while the arena is for people in need of a day shelter.
Minister for Municipal and Community Affairs Shane Thompson said a request had been made to Public Safety Canada and the Red Cross, asking for COVID-19 surge support to manage shelter operations.
“It has the opportunity for people to be a little bit more isolated from the hotels with the challenges that we were facing with some of those individuals,” he said. “But also the fact it just gives them some I guess a better place to stay where we can monitor and support them moving forward.”
There are now 121 active cases of COVID-19 in Yellowknife, over two-thirds of the current total of 181 active cases among residents in the territory.
An isolation order has been issued for the city and Ndilǫ and Dettah — this means anyone anybody in Yellowknife, Ndilǫ, and Dettah who receives a positive COVID-19 test is to isolate immediately for a period of 10 days.
The Sobering Centre has closed until further notice after a number of staff were impacted by COVID-19 exposures at the facility. Yellowknife is currently in the midst of an outbreak affecting underhoused and vulnerable community members.
