Advisory on Non-essential travel outside of territory and into rural Yukon

    With the confirmation of the first two cases of COVID-19 in Whitehorse on Sunday, March 22, at 7 p.m. Yukon’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Brendan Hanley advises to suspend all NON-essential travel outside of Territory and into rural Yukon.

    Non-essential travel outside of territory and into rural Yukon details:

    All Yukoners planning to return home in the next 30 days are advised to return now.

    In view of the need to protect remote areas with limited medical resources, Yukon’s Chief Medical Officer of Health strongly advises the suspension of any non-essential travel to Yukon’s rural communities.

    Self-isolation required for all travelers:

    All Yukoners returning home and all visitors to the territory are required to self-isolate for 14 days. This includes anyone returning home from other provinces and territories by road or air, as well as Yukoners returning home by road from Alaska. We are putting mechanisms in place to monitor and ensure travelers are self-isolating.

    If you cannot safely self-isolate at home, email covid19info@gov.yk.ca for information and advice. All Yukoners who return home and have respiratory symptoms (cough, fever, or difficulty breathing) are asked to call 811 to get advice on COVID-19 testing.

    Restrictions for Restaurants and Bars:

    Restaurants must immediately reduce their seating capacity to 50 per cent, space people two metres apart, and prepare to offer take-out and delivery service only as of opening on March 26.

    As of closing time tonight, March 22, all bars must close until further notice.

    All personal service establishments must close by end of day, Wednesday, March 25. This includes hair salons, barber shops, tattoo parlors, nail salons, and massage therapists.

    Gatherings:

    Gatherings of more than 10 people are banned. Smaller gatherings should ensure spacing of two metres between people.

    Yukoners should not attend any social gatherings, even those with less than 10 people if:

    • You have any flu-like symptoms at all;
    • You are over 65 years of age or have an underlying health condition; or
    • You work in healthcare, a healthcare facility or other essential services.

    COVID-19 test results

    Yukon is now seeing a faster turnaround time on COVID-19 test results. By early this coming week, the number of completed tests on Yukon.ca will be updated three times a week.

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