Tansi! I hope everyone had a good summer. By now we all know that the situation in Manitoba has changed dramatically since early July when there was only one active case left in the province. As restrictions were eased across the country, case numbers have increased. There were 469 active cases in Manitoba as of today and the recent person in Gillam who had COVID-19 is now recovered so there were NO active cases in the north as of yesterday. The Province has a new colour coded system for determining the response required to the Pandemic in a particular health region. NCN will be applying it for our community as follows:
- Red – no travel;
- Orange – travel not recommended but if travel to that region is essential, upon return must isolate at a designated isolation unit for 14 days;
- Yellow/Green – think about whether travel is essential.
The Prairie Mountain Health Region is currently ORANGE so if you go to Brandon, Dauphin or anywhere in that region you will be required to isolate at a designated isolation unit for 14 days.
SEE THE MAP BELOW FOR THE CURRENT COLOURS BY HEALTH REGION.
If there are any active cases in Thompson no travel will be allowed except for essential workers or with permission of NCN’s Executive Director of Justice and Public Safety in consultation with NCN’s Health Director.
NCN Order in Council 313-2020-17 dated August 28, 2020 will come into effect at 6:00 pm Monday August 31st with the following changes:
- The NCN State of Emergency will remain in effect until September 30, 2020;
- Gatherings remain at 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors subject to following all the physical distancing, sanitizing, mask wearing and other public health requirements.
- The ATEC dormatories will remain available as an isolation unit in case it is needed on short notice and additional isolation units can be added at Duncan Wood and other locations in the community if needed.
Please review the OIC and the information we have developed to assist you understand the rules or have someone review them with you. Failure to comply with the rules will result in fines and other penalties. Also, this afternoon, the Province just announced that there will be no travel allowed north of the 53rd as of Thursday September 3rd so the OIC may need to be revised again once we have more information about the restrictions and the implications for NCN.
I again want to stress that our team really appreciates how difficult this pandemic is on all of us. If you are feeling anxious or depressed or are suffering from the effects of an addiction, pease contact our counsellors or health workers.
All of us need to be very, very cautious as this deadly virus is expected to be with us for a long time yet so we must remain vigilant.
If you have any of the COVID-19 symptoms then please STAY HOME and arrange to get tested. In the meantime:
- wash your hands frequently;
- clean your homes and vehicles frequently with sanitizing solutions;
- do not share masks, utensils, cigarettes, cannabis or drinks; and
- maintain a safe distance (six feet or 2 meters) from you and other people who do not live in the same household.
We all must do our part to keep each other safe. Please have hand sanitizer and masks with you at all times. Be careful who you visit. By working together we can continue to keep our community safe.
Ekosani.