The Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority would like to see smaller reserves included with the mandatory mask protocol. (File photo/ paNOW Staff)

By paNOW Staff

Public Health

Northern agencies and doctors call for expansion to mandatory mask protocol

Nov 16, 2020 | 5:00 PM

The health authority responsible for 33 northern Saskatchewan First Nations communities believes the province’s current mandatory masking protocol leaves too many people vulnerable.

As it currently stands, the health order applies only to communities with 5,000 people or more. Dr. Nnamdi Ndubuka, Medical Health Officer for the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (NITHA), explained it’s important their smaller communities be included too.

“Because we don’t believe COVID chooses where to go or where not to go,” he said.

The latest community to declare an outbreak is Birch Narrows Dene Nation, in the province’s northwest. The outbreak was linked to a Halloween party, held at a private residence on Oct. 31. Ndubuka said NITHA is really encouraging people in all their communities to be a lot more responsible.

“It’s really frustrating for us,” he said. “While we do our best to maintain safety in all the communities, the onus lies on everybody to also dig in their heels.”

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Anyone who attended the Halloween party event has been asked to immediately self-isolate and to call HealthLine 811 or their community health clinic to arrange for assessment and testing.

According to Sunday’s update from NITHA, there were 168 active cases in their communities, including five people in hospital. While there’s only one active case at Montreal Lake Cree Nation, Chief and council, in an effort to stop the spread, made the decision Friday to close the community school and administrative office from Monday to Wednesday.

Northern mayors support masks

The leadership of Air Ronge, La Ronge and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band have sent a letter to the provincial government demanding mandatory mask use be implemented in the tri-communities.

The letter states leadership is disappointed in the exclusion of mandatory masking for communities with a population of 5,000 or less. It notes it is the shared view that as the coronavirus does not discriminate against those it afflicts based on population density, neither should the provincial government in its protection of residents of Saskatchewan.

The letter also adds the combined population of the tri-communities in 6,783 residents and the region should reach the threshold for mandatory masking.

“There’s no reason, in my opinion, why there shouldn’t be mandatory masking happening all across the province,” La Ronge Mayor Colin Ratushniak said. “We have to follow policy and we have to follow procedure and we don’t, as a municipality, have jurisdiction to enforce masking. That’s why it was necessary for us as a tri-community leadership to reach out to the provincial government and lobby them to be added to that list.”

Air Ronge Mayor Julie Baschuk and LLRIB Chief Tammy Cook-Searson also signed the letter. Both Baschuk and Ratushniak are new to their roles and Ratushniak believes the swiftness of all three leaders to come up with such a letter is the type of action tri-community residents want to see.

In the tri-communities, there are currently two active cases in La Ronge, four in La Ronge 156 & 156B on-reserve, and no cases in Air Ronge. There has been a total of 18 coronavirus cases identified since the pandemic began.

“Masks are nothing new for us now, its become our new normal,” Ratushniak said. “I think for sure all businesses should be bringing into play, but not just businesses, anywhere you are closer within six-feet of each other.”

If more isn’t done to control the spread of coronavirus soon, Ratushniak mentioned it’s likely the provincial government will become more heavy-handed and there will be a shutdown of non-essential businesses.

The call for the rule on mandatory masks to be expanded to every community in the province, has also been echoed by a group of Saskatchewan doctors, who have also asked for increased testing and contact tracing capacity, funding to provide shelter for patients who need to isolate, a campaign to target misinformation around the virus and stronger enforcement for all existing guidelines.

On top of that, they want businesses like bars, bingo halls and gyms, as well as places of worship, to immediately close for at least 28 days.

— with files from Derek Cornet, Nigel Maxwell and CKOM staff

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panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow