Five visitors per household is still the limit, say Nunavut health officials

As workplaces and businesses begin to open up in Nunavut, health officials say that five visitors per household is still the recommended limit. And when bars and restaurants begin to open, limiting household mixing is also recommended. 

"Our preference would be to keep mixing down to five households," Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Michael Patterson said in a news conference at the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, June 18. 

In the territory's public health order, indoor gatherings in private dwellings can have no greater than the total number of members of the home normally residing there, plus five other people who do not reside in the home.

Bars and restaurants will be able to open on June 22, if strict physical distancing is enforced. Patterson said tables in bars need to be placed six feet apart. 

"Nobody is going to be going around checking addresses," he said, adding, the decisions people make in this kind of socializing have impacts on the entire community. 

Within homes, socializing brings people closer together and physical distancing is much harder, Patterson has said previously. Households of more than five are able to continue to socialize with their household members as always.  

The five person limit may increase in the future when risks are lower, Patterson said. 

As part of its reopening plan, public health is announcing changes like these every two weeks. A public health emergency is extended until June 25. 

There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nunavut. As of Thursday, there are 137 people being investigated by public health for symptoms. In total, 1,288 people have been investigated. 

Nunavut's debt cap raised by $100M

As part of COVID-19 response, the federal government is increasing the territorial government's borrowing limit from $650 million to $750 million. The federal finance department says Nunavut's economic situation and ability to carry debt have changed since a previous increase in 2015. 

The N.W.T. and Yukon governments also saw raised debt caps.

"We felt a small increase to our debt cap would be prudent," Nunavut Finance Minister George Hickes said.

Missed the update from Nunavut's chief public health officer? Watch it here:

The raised limit will allow the government to invest in larger capital projects if the opportunity comes up, Hickes said, calling construction an effective way to bolster Nunavut's economy. 

Nunavut's outstanding loan debt sat at $452 million as of the end of 2019, Hickes said in a budget address in February. The bulk of government debt is for long term leases, for infrastructure like the Iqaluit airport, and lines of credit for territorial government corporations like the Qulliq Energy Corporation.

Don't abuse CERB, premier urges

The federal government has extended the Canada Emergency Response Benefits for two months. The payments are for Canadians who lost income because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Premier Joe Savikataaq urged residents not to apply unless they know they are eligible, to avoid having to repay the benefit to the federal government later.

"We don't have any hard proof that it's being abused," Savikataaq said. 

"But it is very easy to access," he said, adding it won't be until tax season next year that the government reconciles who was eligible or not. 

The press conference will air at 4 p.m. ET on the CBC radio show Tusaajaksat.