Public Health announced on February 16, 2022, a phased approach to lifting long-term public health restrictions.

Effective today, February 22nd, 2022, the following restrictions are in effect:

• Gatherings in your home are limited to no more than 25 people.
• Formal gatherings are limited to no more than 50 per cent of the venue’s capacity. Physical distancing must be maintained.
• Religious and cultural ceremonies that require proof of vaccination are limited to 75 per cent capacity. Those where proof of vaccination is not required are limited to 50 per cent capacity.
• Public visitations are limited to 50 per cent capacity per room. Wakes held outside of a funeral home/place of worship are limited to 25 people.
• Gym and fitness facilities are permitted to operate at 75 per cent capacity per room or ice surface.
• Amateur individual and team sport and recreation activities may return to out-of-region competition. However, participants are limited to competition against one single team per day. Tournaments of any kind are not permitted.
• Restaurants can open for in-person dining at 75 per cent capacity. Self-serve buffets are prohibited.
• Bars and lounges can open at 50 per cent capacity as long as physical distancing can be maintained between patrons seated at adjacent tables. There is a maximum of 10 people per table. Dance floors are not permitted.
• Retail stores, including those in shopping malls, have no restrictions.
• Cinemas, performance spaces and bingo halls can operate at a maximum capacity of 50 per cent per room. Physical distancing must be maintained. Food and drink are permitted as long as physical distancing can be maintained between patrons who are not each other’s close, consistent contacts. Masks may only be removed to eat or drink.

By March 14, 2022, provided epidemiology remains favourable, all restrictions will be lifted, including capacity limits, masking, and proof of vaccination requirements.

The Nunatsiavut Government is advising of low COVID-19 activity in the community of Nain. There are no known cases in any other Labrador Inuit community at this time, and there are no hospitalizations due to the virus.

Public health officials continue to stress that it is likely the virus that causes COVID-19 will continue to present itself in all Labrador Inuit communities, and that activity may or may not be documented or reported. Residents have to assume the virus is present and to continue to follow all public health protocols.

The Nunatsiavut Government will continue to provide updates on COVID-19 activity, but will not be reporting case numbers as they may not be accurate or could identify infected individuals, especially if activity is low in any given Labrador Inuit community.

Individuals with symptoms, with no known exposure to the virus, should contact 811 or complete the online assessment tool at COVID Assessment and Referral (HOME – NLCHI) to determine if testing is required.

Here is also the COVID-19 Update in Voisey’s Bay:

There are 36 (minus 1 since last update) confirmed active cases of COVID-19 in Voisey’s Bay.

There are 74 (plus 19 since last update) close contacts in isolation. All positive cases and close contacts are in isolation.

The federal and provincial governments announced $300,000 in funding to help address homelessness in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

In recent years, the demand for emergency housing has increased dramatically.

$200,000 of the coast-shared funding is being provided to the Nunatsiavut Government to support the Housing Hub emergency shelter.

$100,000 is being provided to the Labrador Friendship Centre to complete what’s being called a community-led needs assessment to identify gaps in infrastructure or services required.

Click here when Jennifer Hefler-Elson tells you more about the funding for the Labrador Friendship Centre.

Newfoundland and Labrador has 234 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the last update on February 16. Today (Friday, February 18), there are 13 people in hospital because of COVID-19, eight in non-critical care and five in critical care.

There have been 227 new recoveries – 145 in the Eastern Health region, 32 in the Central Health region, 23 in the Western Health region and 27 in the Labrador-Grenfell region, and 19,473 people have recovered.

The breakdown of the 234 cases is as follows:

· Eastern Health region – 163
· Central Health region – 24
· Western Health region – 32
· Labrador-Grenfell Health region – 15
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There are currently 1,757 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. The regional breakdown of the active cases is as follows:

· Eastern Health – 1,292
· Central Health – 134
· Labrador-Grenfell Health – 92
· Western Health – 239

A total of 1,279 tests were completed since yesterday. To date, 500,796 tests have been administered.

The Nunatsiavut Government Education Division are developing new curriculum resources and are looking for pictures.

They are in need of pictures of people, places, landscapes, community activities and wildlife from our Nunatsiavut Communities.

This is a community volunteer of all ages, especially young people featuring either community events or projects that show people working together or individuals or families helping others in the community.

Photos can also include community local landscape, landmarks, technologies for wayfinding, community images, vegetation throughout Labrador, scenes of berry picking, hunting, fishing, smoking fish, preparing sealskins, as well as pictures of each community.

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, February 23, 2022.

Please note that photographers are asked to identify the content/location of each photograph along with names of people who may be featured in the picture.

Selected photographs will be paid at time of publication at a rate of $150 per photo, and photographers will grant Nunatsiavut Government non-exclusive rights to publish the photo for the life of the publican.

They can be submitted to Janice Schoening at mintbrookhill@gmail.com.

There have been three positive cases of rabies confirmed in foxes in the Nain area, and one in Hopedale. Officials are waiting for results of tests conducted on four other foxes in Nain and two in Hopedale.

Joe Dicker is the AngajukKâk with the Nain Inuit Community Government.

He says that the two dog catchers and two conservation officers are on a scheduled basis.

Residents are asked to call the dog catchers during work hours at the office and call the conservation officers after hours.

Dicker also says that each week, the schedule changes but it is for the better.

Ian Winters is the conservation officer with the Nunatsiavut Government in Hopedale.

He says the residents of Hopedale are asked to be on the look out for rabies around the community.

A resident was attacked by a fox yesterday, but Winters is waiting to speak with the resident.

There was another shipment of samples sent out and will take approximately three days to wait for confirmation.

Winters adds that this is a bad year and people are asked to be extra cautious for your dogs, pets and for yourselves.

Premier Andrew Furey is currently isolating since yesterday after he was in contact with a positive case.

Furey made the announcement via his social media accounts Thursday after noon.

He said he’s feeling fine and will be working from his home for a few days.

This comes one day after the premier announced the easing of all public health restrictions.

Furey said as those measures are relaxed, it is important to remember that COVID is not over, and everyone must continue to live with it.

Even though the public health restrictions are set to end on March 14th, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald believes masking will still be a part of many people’s lives.

Fitzgerald addressed those who may feel anxious about the lifting of public health measures next month.

She says people always have it within their own power to protect themselves – and they can still follow COVID safety measures if they so choose.

She encourages people to be kind to those who still choose to mask up after the restrictions end.

The same, she says, goes for businesses who will chose to keep masking rules in place.

She says people should respect that, adding that it’s “not the end of the world, it’s just a piece of fabric on your face.”

There have been no reported cases of COVID-19 in any Labrador Inuit community since the last update on February 14. All of the reported cases in the community of Nain have since recovered.

The Nunatsiavut Government will continue to provide updates on COVID-19 activity, but will not be reporting case numbers in order to protect the privacy of individuals. Updates will continue to be posted on the Nunatsiavut Government website, as well as on social media, at 3 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays until further notice.

Residents of all Labrador Inuit communities should keep following all public health guidance and protocols to help prevent exposure and spread of the virus.

Also, as of yesterday, there are 37 (minus 27 since last update) confirmed active cases of COVID-19 in Voisey’s Bay.

There are 55 (plus 18 since last update) close contacts in isolation.

All positive cases and close contacts are in isolation.

There are online organ classes being held for the north coast communities.

Tom Gordon is the professor of music at MUN in St. John’s.

He says the courses started back in March 2021.

Gordon says there are 6 people doing the courses, and the beginning there was 20 people involved and most of them stopped due to other circumstances.

Click here to hear Gordon talk more about the course and also hear who is teaching the people.