Pelican Narrows is under lockdown conditions after another surge in COVID-19 cases.
The lockdown was first announced Feb. 19 by Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation councillor Weldon McCallum via social media, going back into effect as of 10 p.m. Feb. 21. The community has seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, going from active cases in the low 10s to as high as 53 cases as of Feb. 22 according to numbers released by the local Angelique Canada Health Centre. Pelican Narrows has also been considered an outbreak zone by the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (NITHA) since November.
Under the new restrictions, health centre visits will be confined to emergency and essential appointments only, including emergency care and COVID-19-related matters such as screening and testing. All indoor gatherings at private dwellings will be limited only to household members in Pelican Narrows under the new rules.
The community loosened some restrictions when COVID-19 case numbers went down and provincial government restrictions were last changed, but lockdown orders are now back in effect.
As of Feb. 22, 284 people have tested positive for COVID-19 according to the health centre. Four people who had tested positive later died.
