Yukon COVID-19 Update, June 12, 2020

Friday, 12 June 2020 15:08

The COVID-19 update today included the announcement that the state of emergency will remain in effect in Yukon for another 90 days. Outdoor visits for long-term care residents are now permitted and bars within the territory can prepare for reopening on Friday, June 19.

Yukon Premier Sandy Silver and Chief Medical Officer of Health announced that as of June 12, at 2 p.m. the COVID-19 case count remains at 11 in the territory. All of the 11 people who have contracted COVID-19 in Yukon have recovered. We have had no new cases since April 20.

On the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Government of Yukon is extending the state of emergency under the Civil Emergency Measures Act (CEMA) for another 90 days, as of today. This will allow the government to continue to use every tool at its disposal to protect the health and safety of Yukoners during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the pandemic continues to evolve and there continues to be nationwide transmission of COVID-19, the Government of Yukon is continually evaluating the situation and will adjust measures as necessary. The state of emergency can be cancelled at any time, or can continue to be extended by 90 days so long as the pandemic continues to pose a risk to Yukoners.

Violations of the orders under the CEMA are an offence and are punishable by a fine or imprisonment. A full list of the orders and legislative changes made under the Civil Emergency Measures Act can be found at yukon.ca/en/health-and-wellness/covid-19/legislation-changes-covid-19.

Outdoor visits for long-term care residents are now permitted with the release of a staged plan for the reopening of long-term care facilities in Yukon to visitors. Currently residents can identify one visitor with whom they can visit in a pre-set outdoor location. The reintroduction of visitors is staged over four phases, similar to the Yukon government’s Path Forward plan. Phase 2 will permit two outdoor visitors at the same time.

The territory’s five long-term care homes were closed to all visitors and volunteers on March 16 to avoid introduction of COVID-19 into long-term care homes. In Canada the highest number of deaths is attributed to COVID-19 in nursing and long-term care homes.

Guidelines for the reopening of bars within the territory have been shared with all proprietors, with the intent of giving them time to prepare for reopening on Friday, June 19. Bars may only open at 50 per cent capacity, the same as restaurants. This is intended to promote physical distancing and limit the size of groups. Groups planning to gather at a bar can be no larger than 10 sitting together.

All bars must submit an operational plan to the Health Emergency Operations Centre for approval. Live music will not be permitted at this time and recreation areas such as dart boards, pool tables, dance floors and gaming (such as pinball and video games) are not permitted to open at this time.

As plans for reopening move forward and there is no presence of COVID-19 in Yukon, we are reducing the number of updates. The regular COVID-19 updates will move to once a week beginning Wednesday, June 17, at 2 p.m.