A number of events, businesses and services have been halted in Yellowknife as the number of Covid-19 cases in the city rises.
Late on Sunday evening, the NWT’s chief public health officer announced that all schools in Yellowknife, Dettah and Ndilǫ would be closed effective Monday morning. As of Monday lunchtime, there were eight confirmed and 12 probable cases of Covid-19 connected to the outbreak at NJ MacPherson School.
Masks are now mandatory in indoor public spaces in Yellowknife and several hundred people in the city are isolating.
Here’s a rundown of events and services that have since been suspended in Yellowknife.
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On Monday, RCMP announced that the Yellowknife detachment is suspending front counter services. While police services will continue, RCMP said the front entrance of the detachment on Veterans Memorial Drive will be locked and closed to the public.
“We have been preparing for this situation for months now and have policies and protocols in place,” detachment commander Inspector Dyson Smith said in a statement. “We will continue to respond to emergency calls for service 24/7 in the safest manner we can given the circumstances. Please look out for each other.”
The phone inside the detachment’s vestibule will still be accessible if you have no other means to call police.
The NWT’s chief public health officer says early learning and child care programs can stay open where possible as childcare is considered an essential service. However, several dayhomes in Yellowknife have indicated they were impacted by the outbreak and will close for 14 days.
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The YWCA has closed its GirlSpace, Dudes Club and the NWT Family Centre programs until May 17.
École Sir John Franklin High School’s mental health awareness group, Magma, has cancelled its march for mental health, scheduled to take place on Tuesday. There are virtual activities scheduled every day this week.
The City of Yellowknife has closed municipal facilities to the public but says essential services will continue to be offered.
Sports programming for youth is suspended across the city, including the spring kick-off tournament hosted by the Yellowknife Bay Soccer Club that was set for May 7-9.
The Rainbow Coalition of Yellowknife has suspended all organized youth activities and programs “for the foreseeable future” and is examining how to offer programming virtually.
Bullocks Bistro announced on Facebook it will close for the next two weeks.
Birchwood Coffee Kǫ̀ will close until at least May 10. The owners said they will pay staff full-time wages during the closure.
“Closing seems like the responsible thing to do”, said Jawah Scott, co-owner of Birchwood. “Lots of people are in isolation, the schools are closed, and people are being told to stay home as much as possible. We want to be proactive and help in a small way to help us all get through this safely.”
