Nunavut Has COVID-19 Cases

Tracy Davenport

Health

18th November 2020

Nunavut’s first confirmed case of COVID-19 was identified on November 6 (Getty Images).

The Claim

A rare place in North America, Nunavut, has no COVID-19 cases.

News posted on

Emerging story

On October 19, 2020, BBCnews.com announced that there was at least once place in North American, Nunavut, that had no COVID-19 cases. The news was then shared on social media around the world.

Misbar’s Analysis

According to Misbar’s investigation, these claims are no longer true.

Nunavut’s first confirmed case of COVID-19 was identified on November 6, 2020 according to The Guardian. Since that first case, the Canadian territory has experienced a surge in infections.

Nunavut is a vast territory in northern Canada that stretches across most of the Canadian Arctic. Nunavut encompasses the traditional lands of the Inuit, the indigenous peoples of Arctic Canada (known as Eskimo in the United States).

As of November 18, 2020, the territory has reached a high of 70 positive COVID-19 cases according to CBCnews.org. According to CTVnews.org, in response to the rapidly growing number of cases, the territorial government ordered all schools, libraries, fitness centers, government offices, personal services, and non-essential businesses closed for a two-week period starting November 18, 2020.