First Nations fear COVID labour challenges will hit hard
Many First Nations across the country are bracing for the spread of the Omicron variant as leaders prepare for labour shortages caused by COVID-19 that could be more severe in Indigenous communities.
“We are well aware that Omicron is coming,” said Grand Chief Arlen Dumas of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
In Manitoba alone over the past week, there have been 1,388 new COVID-19 cases among First Nations people, shows data from the First Nations COVID-19 task force released Friday. There are active cases in more than 40 Indigenous communities in the province despite many having high vaccination rates.
First Nations likely won’t be spared the COVID-19-related labour shortages seen in health care, policing and other public sectors across the country, Dumas said. But the impacts can be much more significant, he added.
“What has happened in the past, unfortunately, is you have all the water plant operators getting COVID or having to isolate, but that function still needs to be served for the people,” said Dumas.
To slow the spread, at least 10 First Nations in Manitoba have implemented travel restrictions or locked down.
“The Omicron variant has been making its way through Manitoba in an unprecedented way,” Grand Chief Garrison Settee, who represents northern First Nations in Manitoba, said in a statement. “Our leaders are working tirelessly to contain the spread of COVID-19 and ensure essential services are available to community members.”
Settee added that a lack of health-care staff is affecting the ability of some First Nations citizens to access their third COVID-19 vaccines.
Both chiefs said they’ve reached out to provincial and federal officials.
First Nations in Ontario’s northwest also brought in significant restrictions recently. The Sioux Lookout Area First Nations declared a regional lockdown to curb the Omicron variant as none of the 33 First Nations have hospitals.
Half the population of Bearskin Lake First Nation had tested positive for COVID-19 last week, which has left a large proportion of the community in isolation.
Chief Lefty Kamenawatamin said Friday that there were only about 30 front-line workers in the remote community able to deliver water, groceries and other essential supplies to people who are isolating.
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Friday that the government will do whatever it can to support Indigenous communities facing COVID-19 crises.
First Nations health experts say they are still watching to see the impacts Omicron and what challenges the variant could bring to Indigenous communities during the latest wave of the pandemic.
The second and third wave saw higher rates of infection, hospitalization and death among Indigenous people in many areas of the country.