The chief of Shamattawa First Nation in northern Manitoba is renewing requires navy help in his neighborhood because the variety of folks contaminated with COVID-19 continues to develop.
As of Thursday afternoon, 106 folks had contracted the sickness, in line with Niki Ashton, the NDP Member of Parliament for Churchill Keewatinook Aski.
“That is an unfolding nightmare,” she informed query interval on Thursday.
Shamattawa First Nation is a fly-in neighborhood positioned about 745 kilometres north of Winnipeg, northeast of Thompson, Man. About 1,300 folks dwell on the First Nation, in line with Chief Eric Redhead.
Ashton stated the check positivity price — the proportion of COVID-19 checks that come again constructive — is at 50 per cent in Shamattawa. She reiterated calls on Thursday to ship in additional assist.
Redhead has been calling for navy help this whole week. The variety of circumstances in his neighborhood retains rising, regardless of efforts equivalent to imposing a curfew, a masks mandate, closing the band workplace and faculty, and urging folks to remain dwelling.
Almost 40 folks have now been moved out of the neighborhood to allow them to correctly self-isolate. The federal authorities has despatched in a speedy response staff — with an isolation tent and a speedy testing machine.
Grand Chief Arlen Dumas of the Meeting of Manitoba Chiefs has additionally been calling for the assistance. However says the situation makes it a problem.
“Sadly Shamattawa is in fairly a novel scenario, distant and remoted and the outbreak is kind of extreme,” he stated.
Federal Indigenous Providers Minister Marc Miller stated Thursday that the navy is an choice — however stopped wanting committing that assist throughout query interval.
“We’ll stay in lively communication and supply further assist — together with [the Canadian Armed Forces] as wanted,” he stated.
Miller stated he had deliberate to speak with Chief Redhead on Thursday.
The province stated it’s monitoring the scenario as effectively, though a spokesperson stated it had not but been requested to present any particular or distinctive assist to Shamattawa First Nation.
