For Immediate Release
March 13, 2020
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM STATEMENT 2: ADDITIONAL PREVENTATIVE MEASURES ANNOUNCED – COVID-19
Beardy’s & Okemasis’ Cree Nation, Treaty 6 – The following statement was released by the Emergency Management Team in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic:
“The Emergency Management Team is announcing additional precautionary measures to prevent the outbreak and potential spread of COVID-19 at the Beardy’s & Okemasis’ Cree Nation:
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- Constable Robin Cameron Education Complex, Chief Beardy Memorial Elementary School, and the Daycare will close immediately until Sunday, March 22, 2020.
- Normal Band Operations will continue, however community members are encouraged to limit traffic to administrative buildings (Band Office, Education Building, Justice Building, Public Works, Willow Cree Health, QBOW). Community members are encouraged to contact Band administrative services via phone: 306-467-4523 or email: reception@beardysband.com.
- The closure of all Public Buildings (Arena, Seniors Hall, Veterans Hall, Youth Centre, Sesawetan Gym, Crossfit Gym) until Sunday, March 22, 2020.
- The mandatory, and immediate self-isolation and/or self-monitoring for individuals returning from out-of-province travel until Sunday, March 22, 2020.
- Refrain from hand-shaking, hugging, kissing, and touching your face – social distancing is strongly encouraged (2 metres/6 feet).
Our Emergency Management Team does not take these decisions lightly. While the risk still remains generally low, the safety and well-being of our community members is paramount. We cannot, and we will not expose our children and community members to potential risk. Our Emergency Management Team is considering all reasonable options and is taking all necessary precautions to prevent an outbreak of COVID-19 in our community. Our Emergency Management Team meets daily and will continue to monitor the pandemic and adjust our plans accordingly to the evolving situation.
The measures announced in the EMT Statement dated March 12, 2020 remain in effect.
Again, we wish to reinforce a few things to community members:
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- The most important step you can do to protect your family and prevent an outbreak in our community is to simply – AND THOROUGHLY – wash your hands! When done in conjunction with proper cough etiquette, social distancing (2 metres or 6 feet), avoiding unnecessary travel, not shaking hands, and frequent disinfecting, we can all do our part to prevent an outbreak from occurring in our community.
- All community members should continue to self-monitor if you suspect you may have come into contact with an international traveller.
- Do not panic. The Public Health Agency of Canada and the Regional Medical Health Officer maintain that the risk to residents of Saskatchewan is generally low. All our decisions are being guided by up-to-date medical advice, experience, and common sense.
- Do not share inaccurate information or jokes about COVID-19. Inaccurate information on social media has a common tendency to be taken seriously. Let’s all work to ensure our community has the most accurate, up-to-date information possible and that we’re all working collectively to prevent an outbreak.
- These steps are temporary measures put in place to reduce the risk of an outbreak today. As the situation evolves, additional measures may be taken to prevent and/or combat an outbreak in our community.
- Call 811 if you think you are symptomatic.
The Emergency Management Team will continue to provide detailed information about our on-going efforts to prevent an outbreak using 4 primary methods: door-to-door delivery, our Nation’s website: http://bocn9697.com; the Chief & Council Facebook page; and our text blasting software.
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For more information on the pandemic, please visit:
http://saskatchewan.ca
For health information, please contact:
Willow Cree Health Services – 306-467-4402
For Emergency Management information, please contact:
306-467-4523 | emergencymgmt@beardysband.com
