14 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Yellowknife, new exposure notifications

The number of confirmed, activeCOVID-19 cases among residents in the Northwest Territories has risen to 34as of Wednesday evening, up from 20 active cases yesterday.

All cases are located in Yellowknife, and there are alsosix probable cases in the city.

Territory-wide, including non-residents, there are 38 active cases, with two cases confirmed at Ekati Diamond Mine and two at the Imperial Oil work site in Norman Wells, N.W.T.

Health officials also issued public exposure notices for two new locations in Yellowknife.

Those present at Bullock's Bistro on April 30 from 1 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. isconsidered a contact and must immediately self-isolate and arrange for testing.

Anyone present at Bruno's Pizza & Donairon April 29 between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. is considered a potential contact and mustself-monitor and get tested if they develop symptoms. They are not required to isolate.

A full list of public exposure notices is on the government's website.

More than 1,000 peoplehave been identified as close contactsconnected toan outbreak declared at N.J. Macpherson School over the weekend.

Masks are mandatory inYellowknife, Dettah, Ndil, andBehchok, and public schools have closed.

On Wednesday, the territorial government announced it would begin vaccinating youth ages 12 to 17 with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine starting Thursday. Officials said young people in Yellowknife would get the first doses due to the cluster of casesconnected to the school. Appointments can be made ontheNTHSSAwebsite.