Yukon has 2 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the 1st in the territory
Yukon has two confirmed cases of COVID-19 — the territory’s first — according to health officials.
At a news conference Sunday evening, Yukon’s chief medical officer, Brendan Hanley, said a Whitehorse couple has tested positive for the coronavirus. They had travelled to the U.S. to attend a convention.
Hanley said they didn’t experience symptoms until they returned. Once home, he said the couple did everything correctly. They isolated themselves and sought medical advice.
They were tested for COVID-19 and the results came back three days later, he said.
Hanley said the two individuals have mild cases, and are both doing well. He said they are still self-isolating, and health officials are working to determine who they may have been in contact with since returning home.
Hanley also introduced new measures on Sunday night aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
Among the measures:
- A recommended suspension of all non-essential travel into and out of Yukon
- Yukoners planning to return home in next 30 days are advised to return home immediately, and self-isolate for 14 days
- Yukoners are advised to suspend all non-essential travel to rural communities
- bars to close Sunday night, until further notice
- restaurants to reduce seating by 50 per cent, and, as of Thursday, offer only take-out and delivery
- hair salons, barber shops, massage therapists, tattoo parlors, nail salons, to close Wednesday
- Gatherings of more than 10 people banned
- Yukoners with any flu-like symptoms should not attend social gatherings.
As of Sunday, 418 tests for COVID-19 had been done in Yukon, with results still pending on 172 of them.
