There have been no new cases of COVID-19, Dr. Brendan Hanley said during Wednesday’s weekly update on the pandemic.

The Yukon’s chief medical officer of health and Premier Sandy Silver emphasized it continues to be of the utmost importance to practise the safe six measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Both Hanley and Silver reiterated their condolences to the community of Watson Lake and the family of the older individual who died from COVID-19 last Thursday. The individual, whose gender has not been released, had underlying medical conditions.

“Now, more than ever, it is important for communities to come together and support each other as we navigate our way through this,” said Silver.

The premier said the case count in the Yukon remains at 23, with 20 cases fully recovered.

The risk of spread in the territory remains low but Yukoners cannot let their guard down, Hanley and the premier insisted.

Hanley said the death in Watson Lake does not increase the risk of spread in the southeast community of 1,482 residents.

They are continuing to try to determine the source of the virus that infected five Watson Lake residents but they may never know, he said.

Hanley said they have done the necessary testing and contact tracing in the community and are confident the risk of further spread is low.

“I want to echo the premier’s statement that we are all still grieving with the community of Watson Lake,” he said.

Silver noted they have charged two more people under the Emergency Measures Act for failing to self-isolate for two weeks.

Self-isolation, said the premier, is a mandatory requirement and must be adhered to.

One charge was laid on Oct. 28 and the other person was charged on Monday.

Both are Yukoners who travelled down south outside of B.C. and did not self-isolate upon their return.

“We are not out of the woods yet and we still need to be vigilant,” Silver said.

He said it’s imperative that Yukoners follow the guidelines for gathering inside and outside, especially as people are now spending more time indoors: a maximum of 10 people for indoor gatherings who are not in your bubble and 50 people for outdoor gathering.

Hanley noted there will be no Remembrance Day ceremonies in Whitehorse and the communities, as there usually are every year. The Royal Canadian Legion, however, is planning a virtual event.

Hanley encouraged Yukoners to take the time to bow their heads for one minute of silence at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 in honour of the veterans.

On another topic, the chief medical officer acknowledged there are discussions in other jurisdictions related to testing sewage treatment facilities as a means of detecting COVID-19.

The N.W.T., said Hanley, is launching a pilot project, and he’ll be watching for the results and learning from them.

Whether the Yukon would look at something similar is too early to say, as there are many aspects and priorities in the Yukon’s battle against the pandemic, he said.

The risk of having an asymptomatic case in a community where the individual is not showing any symptoms is quite low, but there is always a risk, he said.

Hanley said one of the tools they’re using to guard against the spread of COVID-19 is encouraging everybody with symptoms, regardless of how mild, to get tested.

The territory, he said, must be prepared for new cases.

Between Oct. 28 and the past Monday, the territory tested 114 individuals at the testing and assessment centre in Whitehorse. To date, 4,114 people have been tested.

Hanley said people need to act with caution and awareness; act as though COVID-19 is already present in their community.

“Prevention is our best medicine against COVID, and we all know how to prevent it,” he said.

In addition to practising the safe six measures and following the guidelines for gatherings, Hanley said, Yukoners should limit their travel to rural communities and be respectful.

The chief medical officer also noted the importance of Yukoners getting a flu shot to reduce the threat of the flu virus spreading.

Having a flu outbreak and the spread of the pandemic at the same time could put serious pressure on the health system, he said.

Hanley also thanked the team of medical staff who are staffing the flu clinics, and the local pharmacies that are also providing flu shots.