COVID-19 Daily News Digest – July 16, 2020
Responding to the humanitarian needs of indigenous communities in Colombia’s Amazon Trapeze
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the weaknesses of health systems and the plight of particularly vulnerable groups around the world. Indigenous peoples, including those in Latin America, are facing several challenges that threaten their very survival. People living in remote areas along the Amazon river have witnessed the highest transmission rates in the country, partially due to their insufficient access to basic health and sanitation services.
Tribal leader appointed as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Coordinator for Alaska
“It is imperative we work together to make certain all persons responsible for engaging in this type of criminal activity in Alaska are brought to justice,” Special Agent heading Anchorage’s FBI, Robert Britt, said in a statement. “We welcome the appointment of Ms. Cumberlidge and look forward to continued collaboration on the important work of the MMIP initiative.”
Pope sends respirator to Brazilian hospital treating indigenous patients
“We ask that it be used especially for the indigenous peoples because they are the most in need,” he said.
According to Worldometer, a statistical site monitoring the pandemic, as of July 15, there were an estimated 1.9 million people infected by COVID-19 in Brazil, resulting in the deaths of more than 74,000 people.
Some B.C. prisoners will get art supplies to help them cope with isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic
The program is meant to help people “disproportionately impacted by the Canadian criminal justice system,” its organizers say.
Among other items, the kits contain Indigenous teachings and medicine bundles.
The hope, according to UBC, is that incarcerated individuals – especially those with mental health needs or anxiety – will create and share their art with others in their community, building healthy connections through these exchanges.
Indigenous group to oppose temporary Dakota Access oil pipeline stay order, lawyers say
Tuesday’s ruling means Energy Transfer LP can keep oil flowing through the 570,000-barrel-per-day pipeline, which runs from North Dakota’s oil production fields to Midwest and Gulf Coast refineries. This order, however, is meant to be short-term in nature, and attorneys for the tribes are expected to file a response opposing a longer-term emergency stay motion by next week.
One-Third of Indigenous People in Canada are Struggling to Pay for Essentials During the Coronavirus Pandemic
“What we’ve seen across the country is that the pandemic has just shone a spotlight on and made existing inequities amongst different populations that much more pronounced. And so, it’s not surprising going into the pandemic Indigenous peoples were, generally speaking, financially and socially disadvantaged, and that’s visibly grown because of the pandemic.”
New medical mask company will prioritize Indigenous orders
“The country and provinces have seen that being dependent at a time of crisis on other countries sometimes isn’t the best thing,” Kryska said, noting quality control and political unrest were also adding to a sense of uneasiness around acquiring personal protective equipment, or PPE, in the era of COVID-19.
Grandmother and granddaughter take opportunity to learn together during pandemic
“She was out there helping her grandfather clean the land,” Esquimaux-Hamlin says. “So she was on the land doing things, [learning] how to clean it up and keep it in order.”
Yukon survey asks for input on student learning during COVID-19
The survey was developed with input from Yukon First Nations, school councils, the Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon and the Yukon Teachers’ Association.
The government says the survey results will be shared with school communities and will help guide instruction for the 2020-21 academic year
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-survey-learning-students-1.5651399
Alberta Health Services investigating reports of discrimination against Siksika members
“COVID-19 doesn’t care where people come from or what a person’s heritage may be. The virus is not restricted to any particular race, religion, or community,” said Chief Medical Officer Deena Hinshaw.
“This is not the first time that we have heard such reports around COVID-19. I know that Albertans of Chinese or other ethnic heritage and some religious groups have also at times been singled out and discriminated against.”