As students and staff prepare to return to school this month, the importance of being vaccinated was emphasized during this morning’s weekly update on the COVID-19 situation in the territory.

Education Minister Jeanie McLean and Dr. Brendan Hanley, the chief medical officer of health, said being vaccinated is the most effective way for Yukoners to protect themselves, their family and friends and the community as a whole.

Hanley said today’s lifting of restrictions such as mandatory masking in public spaces is linked to the high rate of vaccination among Yukoners.

There is still a ways to go, though, he said.

Hanley said students will not be required to wear masks in the classroom, but will need to wear them in the public spaces, such as the foyer, hallways and on the school buses.

There are response plans in place to address any outbreaks in schools that may occur, he said.

Hanley said there were some cases among students at the tail end of 2020-21 school year, but they were not tied to transmission in the classroom. Rather, they were linked to groups of students participating in organized events.

It’s important for students to return to school, to learn in school and participate in school with their fellow students, he said.

The territory is seeing about six new cases a day, he added.

Tuesday’s daily update, for instance, reported seven new cases from noon Monday to noon Tuesday. There have been six Yukon deaths since June 1 and eight altogether from COVID-related causes.

While 80 per cent of the territory’s adult population is vaccinated, along with 65 per cent of youth between the ages of 12 and 17, the goal is to reach full vaccination for 90 to 95 per cent of the territory’s population, Hanley indicated.

He said it’s only a matter of time until the COVID-19 Delta variant, said to be even more infectious than the Gamma strains, reaches the Yukon – if it isn’t already here.

It will target those who are not vaccinated, he said.

Of the 14 COVID patients who have been medevaced out of the territory, Hanley said, 12 were not vaccinated.

With the rate of vaccination and decreasing case rates, it’s no longer defensible to impose restrictions on people’s rights and freedoms, he said.

Hanley noted businesses like retail shops and restaurants can still impose their own requirements for mask use, and he encourages Yukoners to follow the guidance of the business owners.

Masks will still be required at the offices of such health care providers as doctors and dentists, he pointed out.

He said while the use of masks is no longer mandatory for indoor spaces, it’s strongly recommended.

The Education minister said by following Hanley’s advice, officials expect to have another successful school year.

“The number-one priority is always the safety of our staff and the children,” McLean said.

She noted the vaccinations are available for students who were born in 2009 and onward even if the student has not turned 12 yet.

Secondary school students who use public transit to get to and from school will be required to follow the guidelines in place by the transit authorities, she said.

With the government lifting the requirement for the use of masks in indoor public places, so too has the City of Whitehorse.

The city too, however, is strongly recommending the continued use of masks in indoor spaces and on its buses.

Changes effective today include:

• Mask use in indoor spaces will no longer be mandatory but is strongly encouraged, particularly when people are in crowded, close quarters where it is difficult to physically distance.

• The following establishments have the right to request that their clients wear masks before entering a space and their requests should be respected: retail shops and grocers, bars and restaurants, recreational centres and public or private transit.

• Self-isolation after domestic travel will no longer be required for vaccinated or unvaccinated people.

Bars and restaurants will be able to return to full capacity for bar and countertop service.

The following measures will remain in place:

• Contact tracing information sheets at bars and restaurants.

• Gathering sizes remain the same.

Social gatherings are limited to 20 people indoors, with physical distancing and limited to 100 outdoors with physical distancing. Organized gatherings, both indoor and out, are limited to 200, with physical distancing.

• Unvaccinated individuals should stick to six and keep their circle small.

• Mask use will continue at airports and in offices of health and allied health professionals, including physicians, dentists and massage therapists.

• Gathering limits remain in gyms, recreation centres and fitness studios.