COVID-19 Daily News Digest – November 18, 2020
‘More concerned about gender-based violence than the virus’
A recent survey by the Native Women;s Association of Canada finds that Indigenous women are more worried about domestic violence then they are about most COVID-19 issues.
“One of the things that keeps being mentioned is that there’s just no supports in place right now, because of covid and the opioid epidemic,” Alec says. “There’s nothing in community right now to support people,” says Alec.
COVID-19 case confirmed at Kainai Continuing Care Centre
“In recognizing that our elders find it very difficult to live in total isolation, safety measures were undertaken to allow limited visitation of families to see their loved ones,” read the release.
The Blood Tribe said the facility is currently closed to visitors again.
“We ask for your patience and understanding as our Blood tribe Community Health Team investigates.”
Quebec announces working group for ‘nation-to-nation’ discussions with First Nations
The announcement comes one day after the release of Joyce’s Principle, which is a list of measures proposed by the Atikamekw Nation to ensure equitable access to health care for Indigenous people.
That document is named after Joyce Echaquan, a mother of seven who died in hospital in Joliette, Que., in September after filming staff using derogatory slurs against her.
Nak’azdli Whut’en taking extra precautions against COVID
“Cases are getting higher throughout the province and it’s become a concern here,” Prince said, urging members to do their part in slowing the spread.
“We are acting in order to keep the community safe.”
As of Nov. 13, Indigenous Services Canada said it is aware of 187 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases amongst First Nations individuals living on-reserve in B.C.
More than 200 new COVID-19 cases identified among Manitoba’s First Nations people
WINNIPEG — The Manitoba First Nations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Coordination Team (PRCT) is reporting 213 new COVID-19 cases among the province’s First Nations people.
The response team announced its latest numbers on Nov. 16, noting they include totals from Nov. 13 to 15.
Of these 213 cases, 68 are on reserve and 145 are off reserve, which brings the total number of active cases among Manitoba’s First Nations people to 1,260. According to the PRCT, 56 of these people are in the hospital and 16 are in the ICU.
COVID-19 in Indigenous communities: active cases on-reserve surpass 1,000
There have been a total of 2,597 cases on-reserve since the pandemic started. Seven additional hospitalizations were reported since last week, bringing the total to 120, and three additional deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 20. The number of First Nations people who have recovered from the disease reached 1,452.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-covid-19-update-1.5804863
Nunavut reports 34 new COVID-19 infections, more than doubling total cases
There are now 60 active cases in the territory.
Nunavut’s Health Department said Tuesday that an additional 26 cases have been confirmed in Arviat, a community of about 2,800 in western Nunavut. That brings the total in Arviat to 46.
Nunavut is to enter a territory-wide lockdown Wednesday. Schools and non-essential businesses are being closed for two weeks.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/nunavut-reports-34-covid-19-200900406.html
Court operations committee releases guidance addressing issues of Indigenous peoples amid COVID-19
The Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19 has published a document suggesting solutions to problems faced by northern, remote and Indigenous communities in the context of the pandemic.
The action committee has also released a document listing recommended emergency measures for courts across Canada to protect the health and safety of court users in the event that COVID-19 symptoms show up in the courtroom.