One of the many efforts of the Stanley Mission Northern to help spread the word on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Northern store in Stanley Mission, SK, has been a leader in creating a safe shopping environment for the community, thanks to multiple innovative measures.

The store was the first in the community to establish social distancing measures. For instance, they installed plexiglass shields to limit interpersonal contact, and have been using protective equipment such as gloves to keep everyone safe. The store also began promoting e-commerce by embracing phone-in and online ordering to reduce in-store customer traffic.

Product orders were also doubled or tripled to ensure the store had everything customers wanted or needed. Finally, rather than reducing the hours of operation, the store also decided to take a unique approach amidst the ongoing pandemic to offer customers the same ease and flexibility they have become accustomed to.

“I was going to reduce store hours, but about a month ago, I came up with the idea to keep the same or extend the hours. This will give people more time to do the shopping they need to do and spread out the customer count rather than condense it,” said Patrick Young, Stanley Mission Store Manager.

The community’s hard work and resilience have allowed it to remain free of any COVID-19 cases. Even amidst the hardships, the community stands together supporting and helping each other.

“In Northern communities, family and friends mean so much. I have found it difficult to not shake hands, or give my Elders hugs. We had a death recently of a special person, and it was so difficult not to shake hands or hug the husband. We have been friends for 20 years,” added Young.