COVID-19 Daily News Digest – October 28, 2020
‘This is not the country you believe it is,’ Neskantaga First Nation chief says amid water crisis
Home to Canada’s longest standing boil-water advisory, Neskantaga First Nation has been without safe drinking water for more than 25 years. Last week, a new crisis emerged in the Ojibway community of about 300 people when an “oily sheen” was discovered on water in the local reservoir.
All water services have since been shut down in the community and families have been forced to leave their homes for shelter in Thunder Bay, Ont., more than 400 kilometres away. With the threat of COVID-19, residents have been reluctant to leave.
Members of Liard First Nation worried as COVID-19 cases spike in nearby Watson Lake
The chief medical officer in the Yukon confirmed Monday that there are five new cases of COVID-19 in the Watson Lake area, bringing the territory’s total number of cases to 22.
On Friday, Oct.23, Dr. Brendan Hanley said in a statement that three new cases were reported as part of a family cluster, and that those infected are self-isolating at home.
Health Authority receives funds to improve living conditions for First Nations children
Four Arrows Regional Health Authority (FARHA) will be receiving approximately $100,000 next month to help improve living conditions for First Nations children and youth in the Island Lake region of Manitoba.
The donation comes from the $500,000 IKEA Canada fund to support vulnerable communities across Canada in recovering from the impacts of COVID-19.
“When the opportunity arose and IKEA reached out to us about their COVID-19 response work, we connected with the FARHA to see what priorities were urgently needed by the children and youth in the community,” said Lewis Archer, Program Manager at Save the Children Canada.
COVID-19’s impact on children
“Children experiencing conflict and violence in their homes or other residential settings are more vulnerable because they are less visible in the community,” the Section writes. “The pandemic has also limited their access to support services such as social workers, counsellors and legal representatives, which are only available remotely in some cases.”
Public health restrictions created “significant impediments” to establishing confidential communications between children and legal representation, the Section says, which limits counsel’s ability to adequately assess their interests.
https://www.nationalmagazine.ca/en-ca/articles/cba-influence/insight/covid-19-s-impact-on-children
It’s time for the B.C. NDP to get serious about UNDRIP, Indigenous leaders say
“I see now, the NDP have come forward with platform pieces that are going to be able to set the table to advance reconciliation with First Nations,” said Chamberlin, also speaking to On The Island.
Sayers has a few other litmus tests, including climate change, consultation on oil and gas projects, the future of the Site C dam project, and engagement on COVID-19 concerns with Indigenous leaders.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/indigenous-leaders-reaction-1.5777509
In Brazil, New Study Shows The Poor And Indigenous Suffer The Most From Covid-19
Researchers conducted two surveys two weeks apart, so they could measure the change in antibody prevalence over time. The first survey occurred at the end of May and included 25,025 participants. The second survey occurred at the beginning of June and included 31,165 participants. Randomly selected participants provided two drops of blood that was tested for the presence of antibodies using the WONDFO SARS-CoV-2 point of care antibody test. Participants also completed a survey that asked questions about their demographics, socioeconomic status, and uptake of Covid-19 prevention behaviors. The demographic information included sex, ethnicity, age, and education level. The five groups recognized in the official Brazilian classification of ethnicity are: Branco (white), Pardo (Brown), Preto (Black), Amarelo (East Asian), and Indígena (Indigenous).
COVID-19 in Indigenous communities: new and active cases increase
In the last week, 214 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on First Nations reserves, according to data from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC).
The majority of new cases occurred in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, where a surge of cases has been reported since the beginning of the second wave of the pandemic. Most recently, the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority in Saskatchewan reported an outbreak in Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-covid-19-update-1.5778464
Panama’s 2nd biggest Indigenous group votes to ban masks
The measure would drop a requirement for masks in schools and forbid government officials visiting the territories of the Guna Yala from wearing them. About 34,000 Guna Yala people, the second-largest of seven Indigenous groups in Panama, live mainly on the Caribbean coast.
Although Indigenous territories in Panama have significant autonomy, the possible effects of the vote by the General Congress of the Guna Yala Culture were unclear. Panama’s government said that the cultural assembly does not have the authority to decide public health matters and that such a move would be up to the Indigenous territory’s official law-making congress