COVID-19 spreading in Quebec’s northernmost region for first time during pandemic

Travel in and out of the region for non-essential purposes has also been restricted due to "the rapid evolution of the transmission of COVID-19 in the communities of Nunavik."

Health authorities in Quebec’s northernmost region are restricting travel amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections in the area.

Dr. Marie Rochette, the director of public health in Nunavik, ordered the suspension of flights between the region’s two coasts — on Ungava Bay and Hudson Bay — on Tuesday.

Travel in and out of the region for non-essential purposes has also been restricted due to “the rapid evolution of the transmission of COVID-19 in the communities of Nunavik” and “the importance of community transmission in some communities, especially those on the Ungava coast,” according to the health order.

This is the first time there has been widespread community transmission of the virus in the region, according to the health board.

“Up to now, the individuals who tested positive were travellers. These persons have been quickly identified by the entry management protocol, so the risk has been rapidly controlled,” Kathleen Poulin, a spokeswoman for the regional health board wrote in an email. “However, some of the recent cases are not linked to travel.”

Poulin said the health board has detected 27 new cases in the region, bringing the total number of active cases in Nunavik to 96. She said there have been confirmed cases in six communities, along with evidence of community transmission in a seventh community.

There are also nine cases linked to a facility in Montreal that provides support, including accommodations, for people from Nunavik who have to travel south for medical appointments, Poulin said.

Five communities have been placed under the red alert level, with non-essential services closed and private gatherings banned. A curfew is in effect in some of those communities.