Dubbed as the “safest place” in the United States when it comes to COVID-19, tiny Point Roberts is making international headlines.
A lengthy article this week in the Guardian stated Point Roberts’ unique isolation has helped keep its 1,300 residents out of the crosshairs of the coronavirus pandemic so far.
The American peninsula south of Tsawwassen has caught the attention of news outlets in North America and beyond as the Daily Mail, New York Post, msn.com and Travel + Leisure, among others, have all highlighted the situation.
“It’s probably the safest place to be in the country,” Pamala Sheppard, who has lived in Point Roberts since 1989, told the Guardian.
“Because our borders are shut, we’re like an island right now,” she added. “We’re like an island with no boats.”
Residents of Point Roberts have largely been cut off since a temporary ban on all non-essential travel across the Canada-U.S. border was instituted last month.
Point Roberts fire chief Christopher Carleton told the Guardian on a typical weekend in 2019, the town would see about 2,000 cars travel over its border, a number that has now dropped below 100.
The Daily Mail’s story says there have been no coronavirus cases reported among residents of Point Roberts, which is practicing social distancing guidelines put in place by the governor of Washington state.
Point Roberts residents are still able to cross the border into Canada for essential travel, but all those Canadians flocking to the American peninsula for gas, groceries and parcels have disappeared.
“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,” Carleton told the Guardian.
