COVID-19 Daily News Digest – September 15, 2020
Coronavirus making inroads with first cases in First Nations in Manitoba
A provincial medical team is on site for members of the three neighbouring First Nations, Crate added, with “rapid COVID-19 tests” for people named as close contacts, those experiencing symptoms.
“We believe that as a community we can get through this, and encourage everyone to keep doing the safety protocols,” gaming centre manager Barry Wilson said in a post online.
Canada invests in major infrastructure development for Salt River First Nation
The Salt River First Nation will be extending their existing water system and upgrading the sewer systems from the Town of Fort Smith in order to serve their community as well. The project will also enable the First Nation to carry out land preparation and electrical and communications work in support of building homes.
This initiative will provide direct and indirect socio-economic benefits to the Salt River First Nation as well as the Northwest Territories as a whole.
Biidaaban Community Service-Learning revitalizes reconciliation
A North Bay professor says efforts are needed to continue Reconciliation. That’s why he is calling the Biidaaban Community Service-Learning summer program at Nipissing University a success, even during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“This is an Indigenous success story, as we have recently completed a BCSL project in support of reconciliation through traditional teachings, done remotely and during the pandemic. I think it is something to be celebrated,” he says. “This was solely done in a remote manner with students from many First Nations, traditional territories, some on reserve, and some are off depending on the Indigenous community.”
COVID-19, weakened environmental protections, and rights infringements threaten the Amazon’s Indigenous territories and protected areas
These findings reinforce the importance of Indigenous territories and protected areas throughout the Amazon to mitigating climate change, and highlight the need to ensure continued protection of these areas especially in light of recent threats like COVID-19, forest fires, and weakened enforcement
Alaska Native-owned Firm Secures $125 Million Contract to Assist with COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
“Our interagency and industry partners have worked in lockstep, offering a critical solution to a formidable challenge,” said Doug Bryce, the executive officer of the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND). “Procuring additional syringes for the national stockpile will better prepare our nation to efficiently administer a safe, effective COVID-19 vaccine authorized by the FDA.”
First Nation on B.C.’s central coast urges community-led contact tracing to curb COVID-19
“We know our community members. We know our social networks. We know baseline information that would be readily available,” she said to Faith Fundal, guest host of CBC’s Daybreak North, about the advantages of culturally-safe contact tracing.
Henry said it’s “very challenging” to record presumptive COVID-19 cases, because the provincial health authorities often don’t know where the cases have been until they are confirmed positive.
“I have no way of knowing who was attending those [COVID-19 exposure] events ahead of time,” she said. “In many cases, the [Indigenous] community will know before we know when somebody is ill and before they go for testing.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/heiltsuk-nation-cultural-contact-tracing-1.5724080
Coastal First Nations hit by COVID-19 plead for better information, relief from racial harassment
“We’ve been advocating since May for safety measures, including information on proximate cases,” said Heiltsuk chief councillor Marilyn Slett. “It blindfolds us when we don’t have that information. We can’t plan our response, like stay-at-home orders, travel prohibitions, and curfews.”