Liquor is temporarily prohibited in Behchokǫ̀ until October 12, meaning nobody can consume, purchase, sell, or transport alcohol during that time.
Behchokǫ̀ leaders applied for temporary prohibition orders from the NWT government “due to public safety concerns caused by a significant increase in alcohol abuse and related unlawful activity,” said the Tłı̨chǫ Government in a Facebook post.
Only the territorial government can issue such an order. They have been used in multiple NWT communities since the pandemic began.
Behchokǫ̀’s order runs from September 15 until October 12. Since each order can only last 10 days, the community government requested three consecutive orders to extend the restrictions until Thanksgiving.
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The official order states the prohibition is required because of the sheer number of Covid-19 cases in the community – 30 as of Thursday evening – and to support temporary public health measures that attempt to halt the spread of infection.
The order applies within the community boundaries of Behchokǫ̀.
A similar month-long order was implemented in July in an attempt to curb alcohol abuse and alcohol-related crime.
