COVID-19 cases rising quickly in Indigenous areas

‘First Nations face unique realities’ says national chief

OTTAWA — Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says Indigenous communities have been facing an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases during the last few weeks.

Miller says 673 COVID-19 cases have been reported in First Nations communities in all, and about 130 of them are active cases now.

He says Indigenous communities were successful in facing the first wave of COVID-19 with measures that limited the spread of the virus.

The measures included closing communities to outsiders, imposing local restrictions on gatherings and making sure that people were observing basic health and hygiene protocols.

Reopening schools and businesses and places where physical distancing is not possible are all factors in the rise.

Kluane Adamek, Yukon regional Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said Wednesday that Indigenous people get their strength from connecting to their land, culture and languages.

“We need resources to support community-led, community-driven solutions,” she said.

Being out on the land, spending time with elders and being able to harvest are things that help First Nations to face the COVID-19 pandemic, she said. “The connection through spirituality, through ceremony and through cultural practices is incredibly important.”

A lot of these practices have been impacted by COVID-19, she said.

Many Indigenous communities are also dealing with the opioid crisis and more mentalhealth issues because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

“It’s absolutely something that across the country isn’t dealt with in the same way that we have to respond to it as northerners,” she said. “These are people from small communities that we know.”

Perry Bellegarde, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, says First Nations communities are among the most vulnerable populations in Canada and need more assistance to keep them safe.

“First Nations face unique realities that require unique approaches,” Bellegarde said.

Dr. Evan Adams, the deputy chief medical officer of health at Indigenous Services Canada, said the biggest concern is ensuring that the more than 650 Indigenous communities are ready for potential COVID-19 outbreaks.

“It is scary for them and it’s scary for us,” he said. “We want them to be prepared and not scared.”