COVID-19 Daily News Digest – October 15, 2020
COVID-19: Saskatchewan reports 106 new cases over Thanksgiving weekend; one new death
On Friday, Grandmother’s Bay reactivated its “road monitoring program,” where anyone leaving or entering the community is required to report to a security checkpoint. Travel is restricted to community members or essential services vehicles. The move is part of a larger trend among First Nations restricting access to their communities in an effort to keep out COVID-19.
COVID-19 outbreak declared on Red Earth Cree Nation: NITHA
The Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (NITHA) has declared an outbreak of COVID-19 in the community of Red Earth.
It comes following an increasing number of confirmed cases, with a contact tracing investigation underw
Politicians concerned about more COVID-19 cases on Manitoba reserves
But what has politicians the most worried is the 61 cases among Manitoba’s 63 First Nations reported Oct.9, where healthcare is nowhere near the standard found off-reserve.
There was some good news from Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation or York Factory after a scare last week when seven cases were diagnosed in one family.
All “members of a family in York Landing who contracted COVID-19 after one of them went to Winnipeg for a medical appointment are now considered recovered,” said Chief Leroy Constant.
In Alberta, the four bands that comprise Maskwacis – Samson Cree, Ermineskin Cree, Louis Bull Tribe and Montana First Nation – reported 26 active cases.
Of those, 12 patients had recovered and one was hospitalized.
Northern Ontario benefits from new COVID-19 rapid-testing technology
The portable device, about the size of a bread toaster,is the SARS-CoV-2 Real-Time RT-PCR, distributed by Precision Biomonitoring of Guelph. It was approved by Health Canada on June 30. Two weeks later on July 13, the first test kit was used at the New Gold Inc. mine near Rainy River.
Since then, the test kit has become a success story, said to Dr. Mario Thomas, CEO of Precision. Without revealing the names of clients, Thomas said a uranium mining company and an iron ore company also bought test kits. Some test kits have also been distributed to remote First Nations in Northern Ontario.
Stanley Mission, Sask., sets up roadblocks, curfew after 6 cases of COVID-19 found in community
A First Nation in northern Saskatchewan has closed many of its buildings and blocked the road into the community after an increase in COVID-19 cases.
The Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB) has reported six confirmed cases, with 92 close contacts to those who tested positive.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/stanley-mission-covid-19-1.5760001
Six Nations of the Grand River says it is ‘in crisis’ with spiking COVID-19 numbers
A band council statement says there are now 14 active and 33 probable cases in the community in southwestern Ontario.
The council said the spike in cases is associated with private gatherings, and band members travelling from event to event against public health advice.
“Some members that attended gatherings are symptomatic but not seeking testing, placing the community at a seriously heightened risk of exposure,” said elected Chief Mark Hill. “Please get tested if you are unsure, it is better to be safe than sorry.”
Indigenous TRU seeking creative solutions to tackle obstacles presented by the pandemic
Despite the changes, the centre’s programs remain quite popular among TRU’s Indigenous student body. The soup circles, in particular, remain well-attended, “We get anywhere from 15 to 20 people that join live every week, and we post the streams afterwards as well, and they get about 200 views.”
Unfortunately, not all of the centre’s initiatives have survived the transition. Indigenous TRU has had to shut down food-related programs like the First Friends Feast and its healthy snack program. Instead, Clement and his team have started giving out food vouchers to TRU’s Scratch Cafe through the weekly soup circles.
Coalition on Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls in B.C. demands action plan from provincial leaders
While the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed progress toward developing a National Action Plan at the federal level, it has further highlighted the need for urgent action on the part of our provincial government to address gender-based violence and structural barriers to wellbeing, justice, and safety. We call on all party leaders to support development of a BC-specific Action Plan. Concrete action to end the violence must not be delayed any further.
The pandemic has also revealed that every level of government can mobilize when the cost of inaction is properly realized. The negligence of government and its failure to act swiftly to implement the Calls for Justice betrays a lack of value for the lives of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
Indigenous directors explore pandemic life through short films in NFB online project
When the pandemic hit Toronto, Ojibway filmmaker Cole Forrest and his partner left their apartment in the city and returned to their home community of Nipissing First Nation, near North Bay, Ont.
For Forrest, this return forced him to face his fears and resulted in him reconnecting with his community in a new way.
“I thought coming home was also a way of healing those things because this is a safe space.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-short-film-pandemic-nfb-1.5762301
Indigenous tourism operators in Yukon hit hard by COVID-19
While they’ve only been in operation for a few years, Allen said business was booming before the pandemic, and their camp would typically see up to fifty tourists a year.
“Well, I haven’t seen any tourists actually,” Allen said of this year’s season.
“The cancellations haven’t helped us at all. As a First Nations (person), starting off a business can be shaky, especially out here. We’re not in the mainstream, and people have to drive out to my place and it’s hard to find.”
COVID-19 in Indigenous communities: New cases continue to climb in First Nations
In the last week, 158 new cases were reported on-reserve. It marks the highest new number of cases affecting Indigenous communities thus far in the pandemic.
“Our health care staff are exhausted, and contact-tracing is not yet complete. Health care perspectives and advice can’t be ignored; they are working around the clock to keep us safe,” said Lori Davis Hill, director of health services at Ohsweken Public Health, in a statement Tuesday.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-covid-19-update-1.5761636
‘Wake-up call:’ Manitoba chief says increasing COVID-19 cases on reserves concerning
There have been 179 COVID-19 cases among First Nations people in Manitoba, with most in the last few weeks, according to the Manitoba First Nations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Coordination Team. Ottawa has provided two Blu-Med negative-pressure isolation tents to Little Grand Rapids to be used for COVID-19 tests and administration. Dumas is also calling for a field hospital to be set up in the north ahead of winter.
He warned that COVID-19 for Indigenous people can be deadly.