Tansi!
My Council and I would like to acknowledge and thank all NCN Citizens, front line workers, essential staff and residents for your dedication, commitment and compliance with the stringent rules we have in place. We truly appreciate everyone doing your part to prevent Covid-19 from entering our community.
We continue to review the Orders in Council (OICs) previously issued to ensure that they meet the ongoing issues that arise as part of our response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Like other governments, we rely heavily on the advice and recommendations of our great health and emergency management teams.
Tomorrow we plan to revoke the Orders in Council issued on March 20 and 27th as part of the response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. They will be replaced with a new Order in Council that consolidates both of the previous OICs and takes into consideration the latest Public Health Orders issued by the Province.
Travel to northern Manitoba is to be severely restricted by the Province beginning tomorrow. It is hoped this will help to keep our community safe from this vicious virus that has resulted in over 2 Million people being infected globally and close to 150,000 deaths in about 3 ½ months. Of these over 25% of the cases are in the United States which is very close to us.
In Canada, so far the numbers are lower but there have still been over 1,000 deaths and communities like ours are vulnerable. Lockdowns like we have in place along with ongoing social distancing seems to be making a difference between our numbers in Manitoba and those in the US. All public health officials keep stressing that we must keep at this as it is the only way to stop the virus until there is a vaccine which we are advised is still about 12 to 18 months away.
Copies of the new OIC will be posted to the NCN website as quickly as possible and will be delivered in the community. Failure to comply with our OIC’s could result in fines, evictions, banishments and discipline under NCN personnel policies in addition to whatever penalties the Province imposes.
While movement of people and goods must continue to be restricted, Chief and Council will be authorizing deliveries of groceries, medications (including cannabis under restrictions) and other supplies to the check-stop where they can be picked up by a resident on NCN Lands who ordered them. They will be searched and all alcohol and illegal drugs will be confiscated.
Deliveries to the checkstop can take daily between the hours of 9:00 am and 8:00 pm. The curfew from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am remains in effect. Parents and guardians are reminded that you are responsible for your children and their actions. Child and Family Services will be contacted if any child under the age of 18 is found to be in violation of the curfew.
Chief and Council understand the frustration everyone is feeling but it is very important for the health and safety of all of us that we continue to abide by the restrictions in place.
Please continue to pull together for the sake of our community as all lives matter and we must do the most we can to prevent any single one of us from dying.
Ekosani.
