For the first time since April, a new case of COVID-19 has been reported in northern Manitoba.
The new case, one of a record-high 72 cases reported by the provincial government August 23, was reported in the Gillam-Fox Lake Cree Nation (FLCN) health district.
News of the new case comes not long after FLCN issued a statement, saying a person who had travelled north into the Gillam/FLCN area had tested positive.
According to the FLCN statement, the person, a resident of the Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) region, had travelled to Gillam and stayed there from August 12-21 before being told by public health officials that they had been a close contact to another COVID-19 case within PMH. The person then self-isolated from their family. In self-isolation, the person developed symptoms, was tested and came up positive for COVID-19. After testing positive, the person then left Gillam and drove back to Prairie Mountain Health.
As a resident of Prairie Mountain Health, the person's case would be counted under statistics for Prairie Mountain Health. The new case shows that at least one other person has tested positive in the Gillam/FLCN area.
"The Northern Health Region case is linked to a previously announced case from PMH," reads a provincial news release.
"This is a good reminder that the COVID-19 virus is still very much a concern and we have to assume that our community is at risk," reads the FLCN statement.
According to FLCN, public health officials said the person had no contacts in the Gillam urban reserve area, Bird or with FLCN band members off-reserve. The statement did not mention whether the person had contacts within the Town of Gillam or with FLCN band members on-reserve. The person did not attend any public gatherings or businesses while in Gillam and was not connected to Manitoba Hydro or the company's Keeyask project.
"Fox Lake Chief and Council and the Fox Lake Coordinated Response Team have been preparing for this possibility to happen and are increasing our response," reads a statement from FLCN.
"The Fox Lake Coordinated Response Team will continue to meet daily and coordinate with the Town of Gillam as we keep in touch with public health officials."
FLCN has declared a full lock-down of the Bird reserve, with no one allowed to enter or exit the reserve and no one allowed to visit Deer Island. All FLCN residents are asked to keep social distancing, wash hands often, to avoid all unnecessary travel, to not share personal items and stay home if sick. If anyone in the community needs to self-isolate, FLCN said the nation has special isolation units available.
Prairie Mountain Health, which has been the epicentre for most recent COVID-19 cases, will be subject to new rules as of August 24. Masks will be mandatory in all public indoor spaces and all indoor and outdoor public gatherings. All indoor and outdoor gatherings will be limited to 10 people. The changes were announced last week, after the person who travelled north had already arrived in Gillam.
"Manitobans within this region are encouraged to take these extra precautions immediately to help slow the spread of this virus," reads a provincial news release.
Back in late March and early April, three cases of COVID-19 were reported in northern Manitoba - two in the Thompson/Mystery Lake district and one in the Flin Flon/Snow Lake/Cranberry Portage/Sherridon region. All three people who tested positive recovered from the disease.
Province-wide, Manitoba reported 72 new cases August 23, by far the highest number of daily new cases the province has reported during the pandemic. Forty-five of the cases were found in Prairie Mountain Health, with 16 in Southern Health-Sante Sud, nine in Winnipeg, one in NHR and one in the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority. Seven people remain hospitalized with COVID-19, with one person in intensive care.
