Public hearings about Baffinland’s proposed Phase 2 expansion were forced to halt on Wednesday night following Iqaluit's first confirmed case of COVID-19, and with it, the banning of all indoor public gatherings, CBC reports.

The Nunavut Impact Review Board is making arrangements to send home all 27 community representatives, after its hearings into Baffinland's Phase 2 expansion were suspended indefinitely.

Chairperson Kaviq Kaluraq said the board isn't in a position to say when the hearings could resume.

The long-awaited nine-day hearings were supposed to bring to an end a regulatory process, which has been prolonged by delays and extensions. Technical sessions were scheduled to wrap up Thursday, followed by five days of open-floor questions from communities.