Sudbury

Practice good 'skoden' to keep COVID-19 at bay, Wikwemikong police say

Having trouble remembering the rules around keeping COVID-19 at bay?

Wikwemikong Tribal Police create easy-to-remember acronym as fear of COVID-19 transmission escalates

'Skoden' appeared in 2018 on Sudbury's Pearl Street water tower. The term is Indigenous slang, loosely translated at 'let's go then.' (Waubgeshig Rice/CBC)

Having trouble remembering the rules around keeping COVID-19 at bay?

Wikwemikong Tribal Police say it's easy– just keep washing your hands and practicing good skoden.

Skoden is a phonetic contraction for 'let's go then' and is a popular term heard in Indigenous communities.

The police service posted the reminder to their Facebook page March 17. 

S stands for social distancing, the post said. K is for know the precautions. Observe travel advisories, Don't touch your face, and Every time you wash your hands, do so for at least 20 seconds, Nose and mouth should be covered when coughing, rounds out the acronym.

It's not the first time people have had fun with the word.

In 2018, a man spray painted Skoden on Sudbury's water tower, which prompted a stream of memes and comments on social media.