Curfew in Nunavik

A curfew will take effect this evening in all 14 Northern Villages of Nunavik.

The curfew, imposed by the Chief of the Kativik Regional Police Force and Director of Public Security Jean-Pierre Larose, aims at containing the spread of COVID-19 after the first case was confirmed in Salluit on Saturday.

The curfews are a preventive measure aimed at protecting all Nunavimmiut from the potential spread of the virus. The Nunavik-wide curfew comes on the heels of local curfews imposed in Kuujjuaraapik and Salluit.

As of this evening, all Nunavimmiut will be required to stay at home from 9:00 PM until 6:00 AM. The curfew will remain in effect for an indefinite period of time.

Access to all airports in Nunavik is restricted. Only personnel offering priority services and cargo are authorized to land in the communities. However, in Salluit, strict measures are in effect. All flights in and out of Salluit are cancelled until further notice. The airport is closed to all traffic except for exceptional circumstances.

Furthermore, all inter-community travel using snowmobiles is strictly prohibited. Contact between residents of different villages is strongly discouraged.

Mr. Larose insisted that people need to stay at home. The fewer contacts between the residents of the different communities, the fewer chances the virus has of spreading.

The police will enforce the curfew with the support of all the mayors of Northern Villages. The mayors and their municipal councils play an important role in making sure their citizens comply with the curfew. They are calling on everyone to practice social distancing vigorously and are asking their citizens to refrain from taking any actions on social media that may threaten the well-being of others.

Follow the Kativik Regional Government and the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services' official Facebook pages for updates.