Covid-19 Daily News Digest – April 7, 2020
First Nations Communities at High Risk of COVID-19 Outbreaks, says NITHA Medical Health Officer
“At this time, prevention remains the best way for community members to protect themselves. It is critical that residents take precautions to protect themselves against respiratory illness.”
Morning Update: First Nations grapple with confirmed COVID-19 cases
At least eight First Nations have confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, raising concerns about further transmission and prompting calls for greater response from the federal and provincial governments.
NDP says COVID-19 crisis distracting from northern Ontario First Nation’s flooding plight
“Normally at this time of the year, there’s a whole team,” Angus said in an interview Monday of past efforts to prepare for an evacuation. “It seems everybody is preoccupied with COVID. And the community doesn’t seem to have a lot of support right now.”
The latest developments on COVID-19 in Canada
A statement from the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority says a positive case has surfaced in Eabametoong First Nation. The community is about 300 kilometres north of Thunder Bay. The health authority says the arrival of the virus will put a strain on a social and health-care system poorly equipped to handle the added stress.
Métis Nation of Alberta announces COVID-19 support plan
“This is an unprecedented time and many Métis Nation citizens and families — like so many all over the world — have been impacted by loss of income, home insecurity, school and daycare closures, mental stress and isolation and other life-changing situations,” MNA’s president, Audrey Poitras, said in a statement on Monday.
Ontario first responders get authority ask for COVID-19 status
Testing has been limited to more serious cases presenting in hospitals, health care workers, seniors and First Nations.
Ontario has only 1 week supply of ‘critical’ protective equipment left, premier says
A remote First Nation in northern Ontario says it is the first such community in the region with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
The Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority says someone has tested positive in Eabametoong First Nation, also known as Fort Hope First Nation. The agency says this development is not unexpected, but highlights the unique challenges in dealing with a pandemic in First Nations.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/covid-19-coronavirus-monday-online-learning-starts-1.5523011
Five more COVID-19 cases in Thunder Bay area
Four of the cases are listed as being in Thunder Bay and surrounding areas, while one is in a First Nations community.
https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/five-more-covid-19-cases-in-thunder-bay-area-2232820
What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 7
Akwesasne, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) and Pikwakanagan have declared states of emergency. With a confirmed case in the American part of Akwesasne, anyone returning from farther than 80 kilometres away is asked to self-isolate for 14 days.
Ontario leaders plead for government help as remote First Nation counts first COVID-19 case
“Now that there’s a case in the community (Fort Hope), what we are advocating for is an expanded testing strategy,” said Dr. Natalie Bocking, a family physician for the SLFNHA. “And the need I think to have a strategy that recognizes some of the challenges the remote communities face so it would need to be different than what the overall provincial strategy is because that doesn’t necessarily take into consideration the unique challenges associated with being able to quarantine or isolate in overcrowding housing.”
City Encourages Use Of E-Services During COVID-19
“There’s a support line, it’s a confidential phone number, anybody can call to speak with a mental health clinician,” says Wall. “I know a lot of people are having difficulty dealing with isolation right now. If you need to talk to anyone, there’s an 888 number.”
https://portageonline.com/local/city-provides-support-during-covid-19
Province provides funding to Winnipeg homeless shelters for COVID-19 prevention
Lees said his organization has been working with Siloam Mission and The Salvation army to open 39 isolation units in a shared shelter space on Sargent Avenue. The three not-for-profits have also recently equipped a 76,000 square-foot building on Disraeli Freeway with 190 new cots that will allow them to keep their homeless clients at a proper social distance from each other.
COVID-19 puts deep freeze on government business
Other Liberal election promises that would have perhaps been addressed in the 2020 budget include universal pharmacare, the elimination of all long-term drinking water advisories on Indigenous reserves by 2021 and developing a plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 with legally binding five-year milestones.
https://biv.com/article/2020/04/covid-19-puts-deep-freeze-government-business
Curfews, checkpoints hope to protect First Nations communities from COVID-19
Metepenagiag Chief Bill Ward agreed with LaBillois on that point. He said it would be difficult for Metepenagiag First Nation, west of Miramichi, to set up checkpoints given that a lot of local traffic travels through the community to Miramichi and other locations.
“We have imposed a curfew from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and we do some enforcement to ensure people are visiting others.”
Onion Lake Cree Nation reports first COVID-19 case”
Pandemic Committee has been dispatched and will start the tracing process to ensure the containment is done effectively and efficiently,” the post said.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/olcn-positive-covid-19-1.5522611
Indigenous leaders asking that access to Labrador be sealed off
“Just segregating, cutting the province off from region to another can cause some other problems so we want what’s best and to stop spread but the fact is we have a solution, we have a tool for this, keep physical distancing stay six feet apart,” said Ball.
N.W.T. Indigenous groups expand food support programs, in light of COVID-19 pandemic
In a press release Thursday, the government said it was also providing on-the-land assistance funding. Residents can apply for up to $175 for gas and $225 for groceries to go out onto the land. The government will also be handing out spruce boughs to households throughout the region to be boiled to “freshen air in the home” and use for tea