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Health Minister pleads to Arviammuit to stop visiting each other

Health Minister Lorne Kusugak during the Government of Nunavut’s (GN) Friday Covid-19 update spoke about the importance of staying home and not visiting each other during the outbreak in Nunavut.

On Friday Health Minister Lorne Kusugak (center) urged Arviatmuit to ‘please stop visiting’ and ‘please stop allowing visitors to your house’. Trevor Wright/NNSL photo

“The people you have visited yesterday, they might have been very healthy, but if they have contracted the virus since then and you visit them, you will now be in contact with it and bring it to the next house you go to.”

Kusugak also stressed people to stop others from going inside their homes.

“This is very serious, please stop visiting, please stop allowing visitors to your house. You know who you are, if you’ve been told you have the virus and that you’ve tested positive, please stop people in your house from visiting.

“It’s very simple.”

Currently there are 56 active cases of Covid-19 in Nunavut, all within Arviat, with 16 new cases being identified today.

“Arviammuit have endured a lot of pain and a lot of hardship over the years, some of it a lot harder than what they’re going through right now,” Kusugak said, adding that "they overcame all those obstacles, you can overcome this, unite and fight it together, you have our support.”

He adds that health workers in the community as well as across the country are feeling the strain Covid-19 has put on them while endeavouring to keep the spread of the virus under control.

"They are getting tired, so too are many, many caregivers across the country. Help them by helping yourself, stop going out and stop people from coming to your house," said Kusugak.

"Wait two weeks and this will be done."