Updated Saturday, Sept. 11, 8 p.m.
Both the Yellowknife day shelter and sobering centre are now closed for an undetermined amount of time.
On Friday, the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority announced the closure of the day shelter but said the overnight sobering centre would remain open.
That changed on Saturday evening when NTHSSA announced the closure of the sobering centre as well.
The closure is due to reduced staffing caused by the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
The latest public notice says the services, including showers and bathrooms, at the Salvation Army and Women’s Shelter are still open. NTHSSA is working to have food handed out at the Salvation Army.
The closure comes as overnight temperatures are expected to drop below 10 C, with rain on Saturday and risk of thunderstorm on Sunday into the evening.
“There is no defined end date, services will return to normal when staffing improves and updates will be provided as they become available,” reads the notice.
The Department of Health and Social Services (HSS) is still searching for an additional location for a temporary shelter. Earlier this week, Julie Green, HSS minister, said the new temporary shelter is still four to six weeks away.
The chief public health officer has also declared an outbreak among the city’s street-involved population and staff providing services.
