So here we are. Week three since COVID-19 hit the fan. Borders are closed. Cases continue to increase across the continent. Supplies are barely off the truck and are flying off the shelves, and we all sit glued to the government updates, all just waiting for that inevitable next confirmed case so we can start all over.
Watching the mess across the border in the United States unfold, one can't help but shake the feeling we're going to be in this mess until at least November when Americans have a chance to put a competent president in office.
So I'm happy to see the communities of the Beaufort Delta coming together and doing their best to help each other out. A newcomer to the local business scene put forward some money to help people around town get a decent lunch. An anonymous group on the Facebook page Caremongering Inuvik put up signs to welcome truckers into town.
From our Community Report stories, we've seen the largest-ever harvest in Tuktoyaktuk to ensure there's enough food, specialized hours for elders at grocery stores around the Delta and pet care for people in isolation. Anyone who comes into the territory is in isolation four 14 days and so far physical distancing is succeeding at keeping cases from increasing in the Northwest Territories.
Federal cash is being offered on several fronts for people who are unable to work because of the crisis. As you can probably tell, that doesn't include me, even though we suspended print editions of our newspapers until it is safe to do so.
As a compensation to our readers we are giving out our digital editions for free. However, there is still more we as a news outlet can do to help keep our communities healthy. That is why the Inuvik Drum has offered to collect donations for the Inuvik Food Bank in lieu of selling copies to our readers.
Here's how it works — you can either just download the PDF file of our paper, or by visiting https://www.nnsl.com/digital-newspapers/ you can donate $1.35 or more. A small portion goes to the credit agency for the transaction and the remainder goes on to the Food Bank to help them keep Inuvik fed.
Furthermore, we are also offering the BuyNorth initiative, a free directory of northern-owned businesses as an easy go-to when it comes time to re-start the economy after this is all over. You can get your business listed at https://buynorth.old.nnsl.com/business-announcement/
We all have a role to play in this story. In the Inuvik Drum's case, it is to connect people and give them a place to make their stories heard. It is to tell the stories of how this community responds to the challenge before it and to ensure the community has the best, most up-to-date information available.
If you follow our Facebook page, you will see a collection of notices from the Town of Inuvik, Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk, GNWT and other important announcements on everything from safe physical distancing to fire safety. We also have a directory for the Emergency numbers for the Family Violence Centre and guides for accessing the Inuvik Centennial Library online.
We're all in this together. Let's help lift each other up and we'll come out of this wiser and stronger.