Residents of a small B.C. border town have pledged to help their Alaskan neighbours during the COVID-19 crisis, even as the border between Canada and the United States closes to non-essential travel.
Residents of a small B.C. border town have pledged to help their Alaskan neighbours during the COVID-19 crisis, although the border between Canada and the United States is closed to non-essential travel.
Stewart, B.C., with a population of about 400 people, acts as a service centre for Hyder, Alaska, which has a population of about 80. It is located at the very southern tip of Alaska on the Canada-U.S. border.
And so, when Canada and the United States announced plans to close their borders to non-essential travel to stop the spread of COVID-19, Stewart Mayor Gina McKay took to Facebook with a pledge that businesses and community members would deliver groceries, fuel and other essential supplies to the border.
“While we are technically two countries and two communities, we really are one,” she said.
Here is the mayor of Stewart, B.C., promising her community will look after the residents of Hyder, Alaska if they are cut off by the Canada-U.S. border closure, even if it means leaving supplies at the crossing. “We are one community.” #covid19 pic.twitter.com/Um2FslxU0T
Though it hasn’t yet come to that, McKay said people in Stewart are prepared to do whatever it