OK – maybe not so much.
McDougall owns the Kanoe People business along the Yukon River near Strickland Street. He unexpectedly found himself on the river Thursday afternoon in an emergency situation.
McDougall was in the store at around 1 p.m. when two people burst in, shouting there was a man in the river needing to be rescued.
He ran for the canoes kept along the river by the store and hopped in, without even considering his options.
He soon saw a man in the water who had somehow fallen out of a canoe.
He said he kept calling to the man in the water, reassuring him help was on the way.
The Yukon’s COVID-19 outbreak definitely appears to be subsiding.
The Yukon’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Brendan Hanley, reported seven new confirmed cases of COVID-19 between noon Wednesday and noon Thursday.
With recoveries, this brings the active case count to 78.
The total number of confirmed Yukon cases since March 22, 2020 is 497 with 427 cases since June 1.
Six of the new cases are in Whitehorse. One in a rural community
Since June 1st, 345 individuals have recovered and there have been four deaths.
There have been a total of six deaths since November 2020.
The Kwanlin Dun First Nation is reporting on its Facebook page that 14 KDFN citizens currently have active cases of COVID-19, with one currently in Whitehorse General Hospital.
If you heard two dull roars over the skies in the Yukon this morning, you can attribute it to this week’s COVID-19 briefing.
First, the territorial government announced daycares will return to full service beginning Monday after being partially or completely closed over the last two weeks.
While that will be a relief for parents, the truly big news was Premier Sandy Silver saying that if the downward trend of active virus cases continues and vaccination rates keep rising, the COVID state of emergency would be lifted next month.
If that happens, it would also mean the end of the mandatory health restrictions such as the Safe Six and masking.
Twenty-two new cases were announced late Friday afternoon , with another 44 counted by Sunday afternoon.
There are now 124 active cases in the territory. Hanley now states this is the first true “wave” of COVID-19 in the Yukon.
The territory’s total case count is now 308. According to a news release, most are in Whitehorse.
One hundred and two individuals have recovered since June 1.
“COVID-19 is being widely transmitted throughout Yukon, primarily affecting unvaccinated people, and is now present in most Yukon communities. Eleven of 14 communities are home to COVID-19 positive people,” the statement said.
One of the major changes over the weekend involves child care facilities.