'Reopen your doors': Nunavut premier issues plea to daycares to support essential workers

Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok says critical workers in the territory can't keep working at their current pace to keep essential services running.

During a news conference Thursday, Akeeagok issued a special plea for daycares to reopen.

"We need you more than ever before. I am asking that you reopen your doors to help our critical services [stay] operational," Akeeagok said.

"Our health care workers, store employees, water and waste management workers must go above and beyond to help our territory during this severe wave of COVID-19. Many of these critical services are now close to the breaking point. Staff are exhausted, balancing work as well as child care, which is unsustainable for many."

Akeeagok said Education Minister Pamela Gross is working with daycares to discuss what support the Government of Nunavut can provide to help get daycare staff back in their facilities.

Akeeagok was joined at Thursday's news conference by Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Michael Patterson and Human Resources Minister Adam Arreak Lightstone.

Lightstone said staff in his department have been working "around the clock" for the past few weeks to address the government's staffing needs.

He asked public servants, including those deemed essential, to only go to their workplace if required. Only employees who are critically essential should be working from the office.

The territory remains under a lockdown until Jan. 17, but Lightstone said there is no guarantee government offices will reopen at that point — that depends on the situation. A new update will be provided if continued closures happen.

Nunavut will no longer offer lab-confirmed testing in communities where COVID-19 is known to be present, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Michael Patterson said in a news release Thursday morning.

That's to help free up scarce health resources. It means COVID-19 case counts in Nunavut "will no longer reflect the total number of infections in our communities," Patterson stated.

During the news conference, Patterson added that laboratory staff need the capacity to do other diagnostics that are just as important as COVID-19 testing, including testing for tuberculosis and testing blood for serious health conditions.

Laboratory PCR tests will now only be used to confirm COVID-19 in communities where it has not already been detected or in other congregated facilities, such as elders' homes. Otherwise, rapid tests will be used. 

The move toward rapid testing is meant to help protect other essential health care services, Health Minister John Main said in the same news release.