Like many communities in Nunavut, the people in Sanikiluaq have been adhering to the social distancing protocols. Stores have arranged designated times in the mornings for elders to shop. The number of shoppers permitted inside the store at any given time is also limited.
“They are doing what they can to help with social distancing,” said Hudson Bay MLA Allan Rumbolt, referring to the coop and Northern store.
However when it comes to restocking the shelves, the stores are doing “ok,” admitted the MLA, who represents Sanikiluaq. There are times when bread is not available, he explained.
Cargo planes, Air Inuit and Calm Air, continue to fly into the community on a regular basis.
The hamlet has also been providing food hampers for residents amid Covid-19, Rumbolt said.
Considering there is no case of the novel coronavirus presently, Rumbolt said, “I feel we are adequately staffed at the Heath Centre at this time.”
The community has been preparing for a potential outbreak of Covid-19. Sanikiluaq has designated the Wellness Centre building as a location to screen patients if deemed necessary. In other words, the space will be used to determine whether an individual needs to be self-isolated or referred to the Health Centre for further evaluation.
The plan is also to use the hotel and a construction company’s units as places to quarantine people.
The atmosphere in Sanikiluaq is “fairly calm”, said the MLA. For the nearly three weeks, there have not been any passengers from Quebec flying into the community. He also believes it has been about two weeks since any passengers from Winnipeg have entered Sanikiluaq, said Rumbolt on April 14.
“That being said, I am not sure how many medical patients have returned from Winnipeg after their quarantine there,” he said.
After a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period, the first wave of quarantined patients from Winnipeg started arriving into the territory since April 11.