Blood Tribe confirms first case of COVID-19
By Lethbridge Herald on April 29, 2020.
Blood Tribe Chief Roy Fox is seen in a screen-grab from a video press conference Wednesday where he confirmed the first case of COVID-19 on the Blood Reserve.Blood Tribe Release:
We have received confirmation from Blood Tribe Department of Health, there is one confirmed case on the blood reserve as of today, April 29, 2020 at 11:15 am. Health officials are working quickly to notify those who have come into contact with this person, we offer our prayers for them and their family. We also ask all blood reserve residents and member who are thinking of returning to the reserve to stay home or where you are at, as our health professionals complete their contact tracing and notification.
The Blood Tribe has monitored the Covid-19 pandemic closely and worked diligently to prepare our community in fighting this virus and will continue to work as a team, along with BTDH and all surrounding communities. We ask the community to remain calm and if you have not taken the necessary measures to prevent contraction and the spread of this virus to begin now by doing the following: keep a physical distance of 2 meters/6 feet apart away from anyone outside your home if you need to be in public; wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer; cough and sneeze into your arm; avoid touching your face, eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands; clean and disinfect areas that are frequently touched (home and work); avoid close contact with people who are sick, stay at home and away from others if you are feeling ill.
We also ask to remember your compassion, respect, and concern of the way of Kainai to support them as they go through this difficult time. In this time of uncertainty, we want to ensure you that our health professionals, frontline workers, custodial staff, leaders, decision makers have worked around the clock to prepare our people for this. We have on reserve emergency social housing available and are finalizing plans on a few to help with the overcrowding problem on the reserve. Those who do not have symptoms of Covid19 can go to:
• Elders/seniors can go to Kainai Healing Lodge – please call 403-737-3757
• Singles/couples with no children can go to White Calf hall starting on Thursday April 30, please call Blood Tribe Recreation and Parks 403-737-3868
• We are arranging for a shelter for families which should be finalized within the week. We will provide those details when complete.
We require your cooperation to follow the travel restrictions and do not go anywhere unless absolutely necessary. We are all in this together, as the safety of our Blood Reserve community is our top priority.
If you are experiencing any of the Covid-19 symptoms (even mild) such as; fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, please call 403-737-8411 immediately. Information will be provided as received through the Director of Emergency Management office.
Remain safe.
-2
I am happy to hear that you only have one case and you are telling your residents to act appropriately.
Unfortunately that is not what is happening on the streets of Lethbridge! In fact it is business as usual by the First Nations, many of which are Bloods from your community, that are in our shelters, on our streets, ignoring social distancing, hand washing, self isolation, etc., and are grouping together throughout downtown, drinking, doing illegal drugs, selling their bodies as prostitutes and the other usual acions such as, urinating in front of businesses,defacating behind businesses, vomiting on our public streets with no respect or appreciation for anyone, not even themselves! Most of these things I witnessed downtown in just one day as the Lethbridge Police Service, the LPS Peace Officers and the Watch were all busy trying to prevent the issues and keep the law on our streets . . . they were busy along with EMS . . . must be welfare check time! You have to applaud everyone on the front lines having to deal multiple times everyday with the addicts/homeless the SCS has attracted to our community.
We are in crisis and many of us have not personally seen our families for a few weeks, to prevent any exposure and follow the rules! But these people run around our streets, often using our public washrooms we all share when needed, and ignore the rules!
We have created this mess by opening this SCS that has proven to be exactly what I said it would be when I said in 2017 . . . build it and they will come . . . they did! And just like in BC, it failed!
The number of addicts/homeless increased, just like in BC and the number of fatal overdoses increased, just like in BC, and the number of homeless/addiction related deaths that are not counted increased, just like in BC. We have pumped millions of taxpayer dollars into the community just of counter the impact to it, especially the downtown business community, who have been dealt a nasty hand and many could have survived the COVID-19 crisis if they haven’t had their businesses negatively impacted by the SCS!
So Chief Fox, I am happy that your community has only 1 incidence of the virus and hope it remains at only one!
But let me remind you that our community here in Lethbridge has been devasted by the addiction crisis and the demographics show over 85% of the culprits are First Nations and most are from the Blood community and the Pikanni community! I wish you well, you and your community!
I would be happy to provide the pictures to you to support what I am telling you, most taken in the last 2 days!