COVID-19 Daily News Digest – November 16, 2020
10 new cases of COVID-19 found in Nunavut, with signs of community spread in Arviat
While cases have been identified in Sanikiluaq and Rankin Inlet, Arviat appears to be in the midst of a minor outbreak, with a release sent Sunday suggesting there are as yet “no clear links” between the 14 active cases in the community.
The chief public health officer’s release also says all individuals are “in isolation and doing well.”
The territory’s rapid response teams have been deployed to all three communities, and contact tracing continues, “with the end goal to trace and contain” the disease.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/10-new-cases-covid-19-nunavut-1.5802990
‘Critical situation’: Opaskwayak Chief calling for help with care home outbreak
As of Sunday, there were 76 active cases and one death in the community, which is located roughly 600 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. It has an on-reserve population of 3,800.
A First Nations-run rapid response team is on the ground responding to the rising caseload, but what Opaskwayak desperately needs is more healthcare workers, according to Sinclair.
“We’re now at a point where we need to have more human resources,” he said. “We’re in a critical situation. Even the Northern Regional Health Authority is a point where they’re maxing out their human resources as well.”
Navajo Nation Has Surpassed 600 Covid-related Deaths; More Than 8 States
On Sunday, the Navajo Department of Health, in coordination with the Navajo Epidemiology Center and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service, also reported 117 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation. Reports indicate that 7,926 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, and 138,332 COVID-19 tests have been administered. The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 13,373, including seven delayed unreported cases.
How one Indigenous farmer in the north is improving food security in his community
“We want to see resilient communities built on abundant, local agriculture,” said Beaton. “(We teach) a set of proven ideas that can lead to abundance, local food production in the future, and start to address food insecurity we have here.”
“The (B.C.) food distribution network, it all goes through the city and that functionally means that Vancouver, in B.C., gets first dibs on food because that’s where the warehousing is,” said Beaton. COVID-19 made that vulnerability crystal clear, with delivery trucks from southern B.C. repeatedly arriving at local supermarkets with less food than the stores had ordered.
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/11/16/news/tea-creek-farm-northern-bc-food-security
Hearts and minds come together for 43rd annual pow wow in Chippewas of the Thames First Nation
With the participation of two drum groups and dancers from across Turtle Island, the event garnered around 6,000 views online, creating “a complete success,” says powwow MC Gordon Sands of London.
“At the end of the day, it went really well. Our vision was to bring together the community members, audience, others who like to watch powwows, drummers and dancers, and I think we successfully did that,” she tells Anishinabek News.
Tofino, Ucluelet urge Lower Mainland residents to stay away amid tightened COVID-19 rules
In a statement on its website, Tourism Ucluelet reiterated this recommendation and asked residents of the affected regions to reschedule their trips.
“While Ucluelet continues to be low risk, to keep the west coast safe, we are kindly asking residents in the Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health regions to adhere to recommendations from the provincial health officer,” the statement said.
Indigenous communities in Canada have already mastered non-police intervention
“We’re on the street interacting with people, listening to their stories of being discriminated against, being made to feel unwelcome,” says Boysis Jr. “We want them to feel safe in this anti-Indigenous society.”
Indigenous-led services like Bear Clan Patrol have been operating across North America for centuries. Since European colonization, they’ve often functioned as a critical community protection group, responding much like the Black Panthers did as a grassroots bulwark against oppressive, racist conditions. Community safety groups like Bear Clan, Ikwe Safe Rides, and Drag the Red, along with a host of other solutions imagined and implemented by Indigenous communities across North America, provide instructive frameworks for movements working to defund and abolish police services.
Navajo Nation Reports 172 New Covid-19 Cases – Pres. Nez: “We cannot give up”
“We have high numbers of COVID-19 cases reported each day, so we need to do a better job of isolating the virus. When we move the virus spreads even more,” Nez said. “When we isolate, we isolate the virus and reduce the spread. Please listen to our health experts and stay home, wear a mask, avoid gatherings and crowds, practice social distancing, and wash your hands often. Our ancestors were strong and resilient and we are too, so please be safe and stay local, stay safe,” Nez continued.