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As rules relax, state of emergency will be extended

Wednesday, 26 May 2021 13:08

By Dylan MacNeil

Premier Sandy Silver speaking at this morning's COVID-19 update.

The premier says it will help the territory keep COVID-19 under control.

As COVID-19 rules are being relaxed, Premier Sandy Silver says the State of emergency will be extended.

The current State of Emergency expires at the end of the month. Silver says extending it means the territory can stay on top of the fight against the virus.

“By extending the state of emergency, our government remains flexible and able to adapt to potential rapid changes in the COVID-19 situation, including monitoring the third wave in Canada and reviewing emerging data on variant spread to inform our decisions.” Says Silver.

At this morning’s COVID-19 update, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Brendan Hanley said even though things are looking up, the pandemic is not over.

“We will see new cases from time to time, and we still could see clusters of outbreaks associated with case importations, if we relax out public health measures too quickly or too soon. At the same time, the expected impact of any single case or even cluster of cases is undoubtedly much less from what we would have seen even a few short months ago.” Said Dr. Hanley.

Dr. Hanley says that we need to keep our eyes on COVID for years to come. As it shifts from a pandemic to an endemic disease, it may be something we have to live with like influenza.

Hanley says variants will continue to rise and regular vaccine updates could be a reality.

At the update, Silver encouraged those not yet vaccinated to get their shot.

Next week, youth vaccine clinics will open across the territory. Earlier this month, it was announced that the Yukon will get enough Pfizer vaccine to immunize all of the territory’s youth by mid July.

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