Just received an e-mail from Jackpine Paddle (Yellowknife outfitter) on the evolution of travel restrictions in the NWT for this coming summer:

"A few weeks ago the territorial government outlined a process for out-of-territory, Canadian guests to safely enter the NWT this summer with a licensed outfitter in a remote operation (aka, Jackpine Paddle). Under this plan, the wilderness trip itself would be the required 14-day isolation. A cohort of trip guests and guides would isolate together and have no contact with other NWT residents and communities while in-transit to the trip.

The NWT is our home, and your safety is our priority. With that in mind we have carefully drafted a plan with stringent COVID-19 protocols related to our medical preparedness, screening processes, and symptomatic persons remaining in camp or requiring extraction. We hope to have approval by the end of May on our plan.

Unfortunately, many limitations remain. At this time:

Only Canadians are considered.
Parks Canada has opted out, so national parks including Thaidene Nene National Park are still off the table.
Trips will be 14-days in length so our kayaking operations are still on pause (for out-of-territory guests)"

I assume other outfitters will be working on similar plans, so by the end of May we will likely have a better idea of what is happening this summer.

The national park exclusion is likely to be a major obstacle for some outfitters. And of course, the possibility of privately organized trips still seems far away.

-jmc

sigh.. vaccinations rule.. Most of us are. I wish the same for you soon.