It seems like the whole world is suffering from the coronavirus pandemic and that it's hard to find a safe place to avoid the COVID-19 threat other than our homes. But, there's a small town in a peninsula connecting Canada to Vancouver that is now deemed as the "safest place" in America.
The 'Safest Place' in America
According to the New York Post, the little town is called Point Roberts that has a population of around 1,300 citizens, all of which are healthy and coronavirus-free.
Point Roberts is part of the Washington state, but it is not directly connected to the U.S. mainland.
It's located 135 miles northwest of Seattle. It can only be reached by boat, through two international border crossings situated at the southwestern part of Canada, or through a plane that lands on the town's single-runway airport.
Although there are several ways to access the small town, their borders are currently closed.
In a report by The Guardian, the United States and Canada agreed to close their borders for any non-essential travels, meaning food and supplies can still go in and out, but nothing more.
Everyone is facing strict requirements and that residents can only travel out of the town for essential trips such as medical appointments and picking up prescriptions.
Outsiders would have a much harder time getting past through border agents, especially if they are not residents and do not have any family members living in the town.
"It's probably the safest place to be in the country. Because our borders are shut, we're like an island right now. We're like an island with no boats," said Pamala Sheppard, a 65-year-old citizen of the town.
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A Drop in Economy, But Necessary
According to local fire chief Christopher Carleton, the town would see around 2,000 vehicles traveling over its border on a typical weekend last year--but now, the number has dropped to more than 95% as there are only less than a hundred vehicles now.
"Economically, it's hurting our community, as with any community that's going through this at this point, but it is in a sense also protecting our community," the chief said.
In addition, Carleton said that the town remains free from COVID-19, but he did say that it's not impossible that a resident went out on their own to the mainland U.S. to get tested for coronavirus.
However, there are still no cases so far.
Why it's Essential to Stay COVID-19-Free
In the event an outbreak occurs in the little town, it could be devastating for Point Roberts since 70% of their residents are 60 years old and above, people that are high-risk of getting severe coronavirus cases.
When it comes to healthcare, the little town only has a clinic and a nurse practitioner and a physician's assistant.
Point Roberts does have Emergency Medical Services (EMS) prepped in case a resident shows symptoms of the dreaded COVID-19 infection, but they would have to transport the patient to mainland U.S. to get the medical attention they need.
To avoid any outbreak, Point Roberts is following the social distancing measures that Washington Governor Jay Inslee has put in place, but according to Sheppard, it's pretty easy seeing as everyone has enough space to spread out.
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