Today (Monday, August 2), Newfoundland and Labrador has three new confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the last public advisory. Contact tracing by Public Health is underway and anyone considered a close contact has been advised to quarantine.

The first new confirmed case was reported Saturday, July 31 and is a female in the Western Health region under 20 years of age. The case is related to travel within Canada.

The second new confirmed case was reported today and is a male in the Eastern Health region between 20-39 years of age. The case is related to international travel.

The third new confirmed case was reported today and is a female in the Eastern Health region between 20-39 years of age. The case is related to international travel.

There have been no new recoveries in the province and 1,421 people have recovered. There are two people in hospital due to COVID-19. One is a crewmember from the ship that was off the coast of Bay Bulls and one is a crewmember from the ship that was anchored in Conception Bay.

There are currently five active cases of COVID-19 in the province. The regional breakdown of the active cases is as follows:
• Eastern Health 2
o 1 related to ship previously in Bay Bulls
o 1 related to ship previously in Conception Bay
• Central Health – 0
• Labrador-Grenfell Health – 0
• Western Health – 1

To date, 263,102 tests have been administered.

The OKâlaKatiget Society has an employment opportunity for a full-time permanent Radio Producer.

Under the supervision of the Senior Radio Producer, the Radio Producer prepares news, current affairs for daily broadcast on the Society’s radio network.

The salary will be dependent on qualifications.

The closing date for this position is until its filled.

Applications should be forwarded to:

OKâlaKatiget Society
P.O. Box 160
Nain, NL A0P 1L0

You can call our office at 922-2955 and our fax number is 709-922-2293.

Applications can also be sent to yvonne.lyall@oksociety.com or eva.obed@oksociety.com.

“The Last Stop Garage” ended their show about a year ago due to COVID-19.

A new show was started up called “The Last Stop to No Where”.

Leander Baikie is from North West River, Labrador.

He says that far as he knows they are the only Indigenous Reality Show on television.

Baikie put in a proposal to continue with a show, as the council said that they were successful with their first show and been requested to make something new.

They have a worldwide following to continue with a show since they have finished off with the Last Stop Garage.

Their new show was just posted in April, 2021 and it can be found on their Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram pages under the “Last Stop to No Where”

We will be re-airing an interview that was aired in April for our Labrador Memories program today with Leander Baikie.

Newfoundland and Labrador officially entered the second stage of its re-opening plan yesterday.

The move comes two weeks ahead of schedule, as of over 50% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated from COVID-19.

Fully and partially vaccinated entering the province no longer have any testing or isolation requirements, and unvaccinated or undisclosed status travellers can be tested on the day seven or later after arriving, and can leave isolation following a negative test result.

With move, indoor and outdoor gatherings have an increased capacity of 350 to 500 people respectively. There is no limit on personal gatherings, as long as everyone is socially distanced.

There is no capacity in lounges and dancing is permitted once again.

Social distancing and mandatory mask mandate remain in place, however the mask policy will be reviewed on August 9th.

Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald stresses the importance of getting vaccinated as restrictions ease.

She says its important not only so restrictions can ease, but to combat the highly infectious Delta variant.

Courtesy VOCM NEWS.

The province’s mask mandate is set for review next week, but until then it remains in place.

Newfoundland and Labrador entered Phase two of its reopening plan, but the mask mandate will not be reviewed until August 9, as concerns about the Delta variant are causing apprehension.

If the restrictions do ease on August 9, masks may still be mandatory in certain instances to protect vulnerable populations, such as those in long-term care homes. Dr. Fitzgerald says those restrictions will ease when 80 per cent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated.

She states there is still a risk, especially for older people who may not form as strong of an immune response, so they want them to be as protected as possible.

Meanwhile, Fitzgerald says it is concerning that 17 per cent of eligible residents in the province have not received their first dose.

She says the virus doesn’t know who is eligible for the shot and who’s not. She says around 48 per cent of the population has been vaccinated.

The Department of Health and Social Development would like to announce that they will be handing out Inuit home childcare resource kits.

The Inuit home childcare resource kits are for children who are aged from 2 to 5 years old.

This kit was possible with funds from the Employment and Social Development Canada through the COVID emergency response funding.

Items Included in this kit are materials printed Sananguativut Nunatsiavut Visual Design, such as toys that were purchased, and a few handmade items.

If you have children in your care from the ages of 2-5 years old, please contact the Family Resource center to ensure you receive a kit for your home.

Kits will be available on Wednesday afternoon, August 4 at the Nain Family Resource Center.

Please make an effort to pick one up during business hours from 8:30 am to 4:00pm.

If you are unable, please let the family resource know and they will deliver the kits.

The Federal Government has announced a 5.2 Billion Dollars for rate mitigation of hydro rates in the province that will not impact the people of Labrador.

Lela Evans the MHA for the Torngat Mountains District says that this announcement has betrayed the Innu Nation with their Impacts and Benefit Agreement.

Evans adds that the people on the north coast pay the highest electricity rate in the province and that we pay the same rate as Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

We will be speaking with MHA Lela Evans later in the AtjiKangitut program to find out more.

The Department of Health and Community Services advises that there has been a recent increase in unrelated cases of E. coli in the province over the past three months.

Public Health officials within the department, as well as the regional health authorities, are working with Digital Government and Service NL to investigate.

E.coli is spread primarily through the ingestion of contaminated food or water.

Person-to-person transmission can also occur. Careful food preparation techniques and hand washing are important in the prevention of E. coli. Most foodborne illness can be avoided by following these simple food safety tips:

CLEAN: Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, and wash counters, utensils, cutting boards, and other surfaces after they come into contact with raw meat.

COOK: Cook all meats, poultry, and eggs to proper internal temperatures; keep all hot foods at 60°C (140° F) or more; and use a kitchen thermometer to check cooking and storage temperatures.

CHILL: Chill all leftovers promptly to keep them out of room temperature; refrigerate all perishable foods at 4°C (40°F) or less; and thaw frozen foods in a refrigerator, cold water, or a microwave oven, not at room temperature.
SEPARATE: Use separate cutting boards for raw meats, and raw fruits and vegetables; and store raw meats on lower refrigerator shelves, to prevent contamination caused by dripping.

Anyone with severe diarrhea, bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain should seek medical attention.

Food handlers, health care workers, daycare workers and children attending daycares with these symptoms, should remain at home until the symptoms are resolved and they are cleared by a health care professional.

This summer is quite different for the seniors’ programs for along the coast.

We spoke with each of the Department of Health and Social Development workers and they say that so far, they have a few programs on the go for seniors.

For Nain, as of right now they don’t have anything planed as they are short staffed.

For Hopedale they are not doing anything as of right now and is postponed until further notice.

Makkovik, they used to have a bi-weekly programs but changed to monthly programs due to COVID-19 restrictions, but they do bingos with meals and a few board games provided monthly. The Next meal will be on August 11, 2021

For Postville, they have a weekly projects and meal Wednesday evenings for ages 75 or older and also for widowers and disabled, they also do deliveries in the evening.

And for Rigolet they only do a meal for seniors end of each month.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the benefits of $10 a day childcare cannot be overstated.

A couple days ago, Ottawa and the Province announced a deal to achieve that goal by the end of 2023.

Ten dollars a day would be the average for children under 6 in regulated daycare.

Education Minister, Tom Osbourne says the rates should be reduced $15 a day by next year.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Trudeau says it will be a game-changer for parents and hard working families. He says the more affordable childcare will save families hundreds of dollars a month and allow more women to feel more comfortable pursing careers knowing their children are in good hands.

It’s expected the plan will see almost 6 thousand new childcare spaces created over the next five years.

A new full day program will pre- kindergarten for four- year old’s will also roll out in 2023.