Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to share some remarks regarding the ongoing situation on COVID-19, and I just want to add a little bit to what my colleague from Nunakput has already said regarding that. It is a pandemic, yes, and we need to be proactive as a government. I want to remind everybody, the general public, that there have been zero confirmed cases of this virus in the NWT to date, and officials within the Department of Health and Social Services have remained adamant that the risk of contracting this illness in the NWT remains low because of time. As well, our territory's Chief Public Health Officer said just yesterday during a press conference that the NWT has already been treating the situation as a pandemic for two weeks. I want to make sure that everybody puts their mind at ease in my riding that our territorial government is actively monitoring the situation and responding accordingly.
However, Mr. Speaker, for all people in the NWT, they must remain vigilant and be cognizant and accepting of the fact that cases of this COVID-19 could very well occur in the NWT. This is a fluid situation that continues to unfold and change on a daily basis. As of this morning, Canada had one death, along with 149 confirmed cases of this virus, spanning across several provinces. As of this morning, this has resulted in dozens of planned public events being cancelled or postponed across the country, and around the world, as a precautionary measure to try to limit the spread of this virus.
Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, there was a travel advisory by our government for non-essential workers to not leave the territory, and I advise that our Indigenous governments and our industry should follow suit, as well, just to help contain this problem. Yesterday, our federal government has responded to the outbreak by responding with a $1-billion spending package to help our country's healthcare system and economy cope with this outbreak, and about half of this money is being transferred to the provinces and territories directly to prepare and react to this virus.
Overall, Mr. Speaker, I just want to reiterate to the public that it is important to remain calm and not to panic. As a territory, as a country, as a global community, we will hopefully get through this together. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services afterwards. Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker.