The Canim Lake Band is counting down the days before its COVID-19 outbreak can be declared over.

Speaking Tuesday on NL Newsday, chief Helen Henderson says the last positive case was reported on Jan. 24, and the earliest the outbreak could end is Feb. 20.

But she says the situation is improving, with the community’s active case count continuing to drop and its lockdown being lifted on Saturday, after three weeks. That means residents are able to now run errands again and kids can once again go to school.

“I think our members are glad to be able to leave their houses, for sure. We thought there would be an influx of members going into town for groceries and whatnot, but we didn’t see that,” Henderson says.

“There were a few members going to town. But I think because we were able to provide the necessities over the last two weeks there was really no rush to get to town. Plus, just the anxiety of coming off of lockdown as well, people not wanting to go to town, which is something we expected as well.”

The band, with a population of 234 residents on reserve, has seen 63 cases of COVID-19 and one death, a 77-year-old elder.

Henderson says less than half of those 63 cases are still considered active.

– with files from Jeff Andreas