In small city Whitehorse, Yukon, COVID-19 poses unique challenges
In small city Whitehorse, Yukon, COVID-19 poses unique challenges
By Irish Mae Silvestre
The Philippine Reporter
Early this year, as large cities across Canada scrambled to shut down businesses in an effort to mitigate the spread of the then mysterious virus, the small northern city of Whitehorse was no different.
“It felt surreal,” recalled Jocelyn Curteanu, Councillor of the City of Whitehorse. (Curteanu stated that her opinions for this story are her own and shouldn’t be taken as an official response from the City.)
“We were watching the spread of COVID-19 throughout Canada and the world – on our TVs and social media,” she continued. “Yet, we were still feeling pretty safe, maybe even a little removed from it all.”
That feeling of living in a relatively safe bubble is perhaps understandable because of the relatively small size of the population.
After all, according to a study by Statistics Canada, Whitehorse had a population of just 25,085 in 2016. This year, the province of Yukon has a recorded population of 42,000.
Still, the City reacted swiftly: school trips were cancelled, events were postponed, and gatherings discouraged. They also cancelled the 2020 Arctic Winter Games, which some felt was “excessively cautious.”
“A couple of weeks later, it became apparent that the right call was made as some people who were supposed to head to the Yukon for the AWG were diagnosed with COVID-19,” said Curteanu. “If we had held the Games, we would’ve had a major outbreak on our hands and we wouldn’t have had the capacity to deal with it.”
As of November 30, Yukon has had 47 cases and one death.
While that number seems relatively low compared to the thousands of cases in other provinces, regions like Yukon face unique challenges.
“Although it may appear that we are better protected from the disease in Yukon, Yukoners are some of the most travelled people in Canada and tourism is our biggest industry,” explained Curteanu. “We also have people travelling through, to and from Alaska, and there’s regular movement of goods and services by air and land.”
She added that this makes them just as vulnerable – if not more so – due to their limited infrastructure, resources and capacity to deal with a major outbreak.
“People who suffer any complications from the disease would most likely have to be medevaced to Vancouver or Edmonton for treatment, away from the comfort of home and support of family and friends,” she said.
Curteanu said she’s grateful that the government and health authorities took the threat seriously, which resulted in the low infection rates. However, like the rest of the country, Yukon is now in the grip of a second wave with the number of cases on the rise.
“I think people started to become complacent and even resentful that we weren’t allowed to get back to ‘normal’,” she said. “And despite warnings from the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) and the Yukon Government (YG) to stay vigilant, especially as some COVID-19 rules were relaxed and travel in and out of the territory was resuming, there may have been some lapses in judgement, which resulted in the second wave.”
As for minorities being disproportionately affected, Curteanu feels that it might have to do with living conditions in multigenerational households, making it difficult for people to isolate.
“Many of us are also very active within our ethnic communities, enjoy get togethers and large gatherings and generally love to celebrate life in Canada and prefer to celebrate in our homes rather than restaurants or pubs, sharing our food with lots of animated conversation and laughter,” she said. “So, if one person has COVID-19, everyone is exposed within close range and contraction is inevitable. Also, in the Filipino culture, even friends are referred to as ‘tita’ (aunt) and ‘tito’ (uncle). They’re often being considered extended family, so we can be pretty generous with hugs and kisses in greetings and departures, which increases COVID-19 risks even further.”
On a personal level, Curteanu said she’s grateful that she and her husband have a steady income and that they now have more time with their family.
However, she misses the small things, such as birthday parties and haircuts. They’ve also had to cancel a family vacation, much to the disappointment of her children. But one of her main concerns are family members who were laid off and ones who are vulnerable to the disease due to their age or health status.
“We really are experiencing this pandemic like everyone else,” said Curteanu. “I hope the commonality of our struggles across the country will bring us closer together as Canadians working to manage and overcome this disease and all the pandemics that may come after it.”
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According to Whitehorse Councillor Jocelyn Curteanu, below are some initiatives that the City has undertaken to provide some relief to local businesses, essential workers and citizens:
• Tax deadline extended for 3 months with no penalties – this applies to business and residential taxes
• Free parking for 2 months
• Free transit for 2 months
• Addressed applications for restaurants/bars to set up patios
• Lease payment release for businesses in City facilities (e.g. CGC Subway, Booster Juice, Physio Plus)
• Mayor participated in a Business Advisory Group organized by the YG Minister of Economic Development
• Promoted a Buy Local Campaign
• Provided sponsorship for Yukoner Appreciation Days for the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce
[Sources]
Population – https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-631-x/11-631-x2018006-eng.htm
COVID stats – https://yukon.ca/en/case-counts-covid-19
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