COVID-19 outbreak following wildfire evacuations shows risks in Sask. reopening approach, tribal council says
A wildfire evacuation of a northern Saskatchewan community has led to a rapidly increasing outbreak of COVID-19 – a situation their emergency response coordinator says could have been minimized if the province didn’t lift all public health restrictions.
Daryl Wright with the Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) said roughly 250 people evacuated to Lloydminster from Buffalo River Dene Nation due to a nearby wildfire. When most were cleared to return earlier this week, rapid testing revealed several cases of COVID-19.
“I think that the general population had let down their guard when the health order was lifted,” said Wright.
“We also lost all enforcement measures with the health order, which made it a challenge to get compliance, cooperation with the isolation recommendations.”
On July 15, Buffalo River Dene Nation had only five active cases of COVID-19. As of Thursday, a week later, he said that number is now in the 60s.
Wright said most people who tested positive have been transferred to assisted self-isolation units.
He said the COVID-19 vaccine rate in Buffalo River is less than 40 per cent. The provincial government lifted all restrictions based on reaching 70 per cent of people age 12 and over getting their first dose.
“It’s a challenge when you bring a population with a low vaccine rate into an area where the assumption is everybody has 70 per cent or higher,” said Wright.
He also pointed to issues of overcrowding in Indigenous communities, saying people who tested positive couldn’t return home because others are living in the same house.
Opposition NDP leader Ryan Meili said the pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of remote Indigenous communities.
“We see the underlying problems of overcrowding on reserve, issues of underlying health conditions and really low vaccination rates,” he said.
In an emailed statement, the Ministry of Health said the Saskatchewan Health Authority has been working with northern leaders “to provide information about the importance of vaccination.”
“We continue to encourage proven public health measures, such as vaccination, regular hand washing, physical distancing and masking,” reads the statement.
But Meili said more needs to be done.
“The efforts clearly haven’t been made or what has been tried hasn’t been successful,” he said.
Meili said the province has set restrictions for specific areas of the province before, such as in Regina, and should consider doing that in the north.
The provincial government said it “continues to monitor these situations” and considers these types of restrictions based on the recommendations of local medical health officers.
The Canadian Red Cross provided services to wildfire evacuees from Buffalo River. In total, the Red Cross assisted over 1,700 people from six communities.
Wright said the MLTC’s security team has been helping to deliver food, do laundry, and even delivered a Play Station to help people in isolation in hotel rooms.
“Normally the First Nation had the province managing the evacuation, but things are changing in Saskatchewan and First Nations are building the capacity to manage their own evacuation,” he said.
“It’s very inspiring.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.