The GNWT have recently released a report regarding the general well being of the residents of the Northwest Territories since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In May 2020, the Department of Health and Social Services put together a working group to examine whether public health measures during the pandemic were having unintended negative consequences on the well-being of NWT residents. For example, it was anticipated that social isolation would create challenges in reporting concerns of suspected child/youth maltreatment.
The report did find a number of important results. Reports of suspected child mistreatment were lower between October of 2021, and March of 2022. Visits to community healthcare services were considerably lower in January, February, March, and April 2022 than in the same months in 2021. Other community counseling services for mental health issues also saw a significant drop in traffic in the first year of the pandemic, but have since returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2021, and have risen even higher in 2022.
The pandemic period has also seen a general increase in applications for Emergency Protection Orders to protect victims of family violence.
All public health orders relating to COVID-19 were officially lifted in the NWT on April 1st of this year. The full report can be found by clicking here.
