The Nain Inuit Community Government has been making some developments to accommodate people in the community while we are at Alert Level 5.

Joe Dicker is the AngajukKâk for NICG, he says that a sliding area for children was made, and the Recreation Department is in the process of developing virtual recreational games for anyone.

Dicker says, this time around for Alert Level 5 is a learning experience and there are still challenges that we still face especially with travel to and from other communities.

We will be speaking with AngajukKâk Joe Dicker later in the AtjiKangitut Program to find out more.

TODAY, Wednesday, February 24th, Newfoundland and Labrador has 8 new confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The 8 new confirmed cases are as follows:

In the Eastern Health region:

• 3 under the age of 20
• 4 between 40-49 years of age; and
• 1 between 50-59 year of age;

Contact tracing by Public Health officials is underway. Anyone considered a close contact will be advised to quarantine.

There have been no new presumptive positive cases since yesterday, and there are no outstanding presumptive cases.

There are 345 active cases of COVID-19.

The regional breakdown of the 345 active cases is as follows:

• Eastern Health-336
• Central Health-4
• Labrador-Grenfell Health-1
• Western Health-4

There have been 34 new recoveries in the Eastern Health region since yesterday. This means 576 people have recovered from the virus.

Six people are in hospital. Of these patients, two are in intensive care.

To date, 110,176 people have been tested.

The press conference is still ongoing and we will keep you up to date.

COVID-19 vaccinations are set to begin for people age 75 and older in the Labrador-Grenfell Health region next week, and a new date has been set for inoculations in North West River.

The next phase of the vaccine rollout begins on March 1 in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador West, Churchill Falls, St. Anthony, Roddickton, and Flower’s Cove.

Now, those who are eligible can receive the vaccine in North West River on March 8 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Appointments can be booked by calling your local public health office.

· Labrador Health Centre: (709) 897-2331

· Labrador West Health Centre: (709) 285-8321

· Charles S. Curtis Memorial Hospital: (709) 454-0367

· Strait of Belle Isle Health Centre: (709) 456-2401

· White Bay Central Health Centre: (709) 457-2215

· Churchill Fall’s Community Clinic: (709) 925-3377

· North West River: (709) 897-2331

Story courtesy from VOCM.

SmartICE Sea Ice Monitoring & Information Inc. is proud to announce the launch of the Sikumik Qaujimajjuti project with support of the Climate Justice Resilience Fund (CJRF).

The CJRF is a registered charity in the United States that offers grants to climate change resilience initiatives dedicated to youth, Indigenous peoples, and women.

The CJRF is contributing financial support of USD $500,000 (approx. CAD $650,000) over three years.

The Sikumik Qaujimajjuti project includes the development of a holistic, culturally appropriate, and sustainable training curriculum that provides Inuit youth the skills to interpret satellite imagery and create ice travel safety maps for their community.

The project is piloting in Pond Inlet and Gjoa Haven in Nunavut, and Nain, Nunatsiavut with plans for expansion to all SmartICE serviced communities across Inuit Nunangat.

Pink Shirt Day is today, Wednesday, February 24th.

Bullying is a major problem in our schools, workplaces, homes, and online.

Pink Shirt Day aims to raise awareness of these issues.

A message coming from the Department of Health and Social Development this year is to BE KIND and treat everyone with respect and dignity. Let’s lift each other up.

The DHSD staff is giving away T-shirts to the community.

They will be given out today until 4:30pm and again all day tomorrow.

Please note there are only adult T-shirts available. Sizes available are S, M, L, XL, XXL.

Please call the DHSD office at 922-2126, ext. 231 or Sarah at front desk 922-2126 ext. 221 to let them know when you will be dropping by.

They will have your T-shirt ready to hand outside.

A message from the DHSD staff.

The communities on the north coast are facing more restrictions due to COVID-19.

Marjorie Flowers is the AngajukKak of the Hopedale Inuit Community Government office.

She says some businesses are back in lock down, and following all restrictions that the Chief Medical Officer and the Government once laid out.

Stay tuned to AtjiKangitut today to hear Flowers give you more details on what is happening in their town since the lock down.

Today, Tuesday, February 23, Newfoundland and Labrador has 15 new confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The 15 new confirmed cases are as follows:

In the Eastern Health region:

· 2 under 20 years of age;
· 1 between 20-39 years of age;
· 8 between 40-49 years of age;
· 2 between 50-59 years of age;
· 1 between 60-69 years of age; and,
· 1 70 years of age and above.

There are 10 females and 5 males.

Contact tracing by Public Health officials is underway. Anyone considered a close contact has been advised to quarantine.

There are no new or outstanding presumptive positive cases.

There are 372 active cases of COVID-19.

There have been 50 new recoveries in the Eastern Health region since yesterday.

This means 576 people have recovered from the virus, five people are in hospital, of these patients, two are in intensive care and to date, 109,540 people have been tested.

Public Health is making this ask out of an abundance of caution because of the confirmed case of COVID-19 in the Western Health region reported yesterday.

For the most up-to-date information related to COVID-19, please visit www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19.

The interior work of the last two new homes was halted due to the outbreak of COVID-19 cases in the province earlier this month.

William Lucy is the Coordinator for Torngat Regional Housing Association.

He says there is painting left to do in one home in Rigolet and finishing touches.

In Hopedale, there are water test to be done and electrical plug-ins to be installed.

Lucy says they don’t know when they’ll get back to work but everything is on lock down until further notice due to COVID-19 pandemic.

A recent post circulating on social media claiming that provincial wildlife authorities have sanctioned the hunting of George River, Mealy Mountain and Lac Joseph caribou herds, is false.

A moratorium on the hunting of George River caribou remains in place, as the herd size remains at less than one per cent of the abundance recorded in the early 1990s. The hunting of animals in the Mealy Mountain and Lac Joseph herds is currently prohibited under the Provincial Endangered Species Act.

The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture’s Resource Enforcement Division has initiated an investigation into the alleged harvesting and possession of Caribou due to the social media post.

Anyone with any additional information regarding this issue is encouraged to call the Resource Enforcement Division’s Labrador Regional Office at 709-896-7957 or the provincial 24/7 poaching line at 1-877-820-0999, or provide a report online at www.gov.nl.ca/ffa/ers/report-poaching.

Nunatsiavut Electoral Officer Nanette Blake confirmed yesterday, after an official recount, that Susan Sonya Onalik of St. John’s is the winner of the February 17 by-election for Ordinary Member in the Constituency of Canada.

An announcement on when Ms. Onalik will be sworn-in as a member of the Nunatsiavut Assembly will be forthcoming.

The Nunatsiavut Assembly meets at least four times a year in Hopedale. Ordinary Member represent Inuit from their respective constituencies in the Nunatsiavut Assembly.

For more information, please contact Nanette Blake, Nunatsiavut Electoral Officer at (709) 899-0369.

Or you can email her at Nanette.blake@nunatsiavut.com.