Igloolik could cancel Christmas festivities due to widespread illness
Hamlet CAO says poll of residents being taken, decision expected Friday
Igloolik’s chief administrative officer says the hamlet is considering cancelling Christmas activities due to high levels of illness in the community. (File photo)
Christmas activities in Igloolik could be cancelled due to high levels of illness in the community, according to the hamlet’s chief administrative officer.
George Qaunaq estimated 70 per cent of staff at the schools in Igloolik and about half of the hamlet office staff have been off sick this week.
“Currently, I am getting our recreation director to do a little poll on the Christmas games and festivities that the recreation [department] does every year, like games and dances,” Qaunaq said on Thursday.
“If there are more people that want the festivities to close for a while, we might do that and if there are more people that want it to continue then we will.”
He said the hamlet council will decide Friday, after poll results become available, whether or not to suspend Christmas festivities.
Qaunaq said that either way, it will be a difficult decision.
In the north we tend to show respect to the community by having a vote on a lot of issues. But sometimes the public is not necessarily a good judge of the impact of yes or no vote, mostly due to emotion rather than anything else. Not to say that public is right wrong or indifferent to all, none or some, but the administration in consultation with health department would be best I think to decide on spread of illness and impact.
Good points, I’ve noticed this too. It is not only in the north that we see this kind of thing either. The idea, I think, is that decisions are bestowed with greater legitimacy when they are collectively made. It’s not a terrible way of making decisions, but it is true, large groups of people are rarely experts.
“The opinion of 10000 men is of no value if none of them knows anything about the subject”. – Marcus Aurelius (allegedly).
But also there are people that are not going to work or sending kids to school because of the “sickness”, which in town is being called H1N1. but yet people are still out visiting, just like when Covid happened, but we had the Gov cancel the community events. so I think if what is going around is truly as bad as what is being said by some people i would hope the GN would have given some input.
And i bet they did ask and since it is mostly just community fear, the GN said you dont need to close but you can decide on your own…. like all years the Hamlet can chose to run games or not.
Like every other year since the bug and the north met up, and every other place, illness is inevitable. We don’t want Covid poking at us again, but common annual flu and related sickness comes again and again. Like the above commentor is saying also, it could be a call from community leaders rather than health department, as it’s not so much life and death, and serious morbidity, but comfort and convenience for the community to postpone the festivities. That being said, we can hope that it’s all in the best interests of everyone in the community either which way.
At least one person has died in Igloolik due to this H1N1 going around and several people have needed to be flown out for medical attention. This ain’t your normal flu.
What is the nature of the illness that has afflicted 70% of the community’s residents? A cold or flu, or something more serious?
I’m thinking about Covid days and the public , those for and against the restrictions. Not to take sides for the sake of this comment, but imagining the disorder based on what comment 1 and 2 above emphasized.
Postpone it until New Years Day, that way it will give everyone an extra two weeks+ to get over the virus (assuming it is the flu). Symptoms usually last 4 – 7 days so there would be time for everyone to recover.
It’s a hard call. Especially Christmas celebrations with activities. It seems to make sense to push it ahead to new years, but the energy in people to enjoy the dancing, the games, the get togetherness. It’s overwhelming to approach or suggesting to shut that down in postponement. Not a famous call of the day, but I still think, it’s better for the municipality and recreation to make the decision with tighter scrutiny , then to leave it to a public vote.
Get up to date on your vaccines folks ( Flu and Covid) to lessen the impact