Information Update about COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
March 14, 2020
The health, wellness, and safety of our communities is top priority for Chiefs Darcy Dixon, Aaron Young and Clifford Poucette. The Chiefs and their administrative teams have been working closely with Stoney Naokda Emergency Management to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely. They are referring to the Government of Alberta and Alberta Health Services for guidance.
This evening, all three Chiefs participated in a telephone conference call with Alberta Premier, Kenney and the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hinshaw, about the current status of COVID-19 and the potential impact to our communities. The Chiefs heard loud and clear, that the Government is committed to supporting Indigenous communities. The Government of Alberta has recently opened the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre to provide greater coordination, support, and communication to all of Alberta. Indigenous Relations has been included as part of this Emergency Operations Centre.
The Chiefs are committed to continually working with the Government of Alberta to see that appropriate finances and resources are allocated to our communities. A committee has been formed to provide you with the most up-to-date information. Please share relevant information with your families and neighbours.
What we know so far:
The Government of Alberta is asking that all Albertans who are currently outside of the country, or who have recently returned, to self-isolate on their return for 14 days, no matter which country they were visiting.
If anyone in our community is feeling flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, extreme tiredness), Alberta Health Services has created a simple online self-assessment tool. It can be found by visiting: www.ahs.ca/covid
To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, Alberta has implemented new public health restrictions as of March 12. These restrictions suggest that:
• Events with more than 50 attendees that involves international participants, critical infrastructure staff, seniors, or other high-risk populations
• Large events with more than 250 attendees (Includes: sporting events, conferences and community events; Does not include: places of worship, grocery stores, airports or shopping centres )
o Events that do not meet this criteria can proceed, but risk mitigation must be in place, such as sanitizer stations and distancing between attendees.
Additional information can be found here: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/ppih/if-ppih-ncov-2019-public-faq.pdf
What you can do:
To help us help you, you can follow some simple procedures:
• Wash your hand with warm water and soap (singing happy birthday twice is a good indicator as to how long you should wash your hands for).
• If you are feeling unwell, stay home.
o If possible, away from other people and use the Alberta Health Services online assessment tool at www.ahs.ca/covid
• Follow the guidelines as outlined above.
• Avoid any unnecessary travel outside of Canada.
The Chiefs and their teams are committed to provided you with the latest information. They will continue to work with the Government and advocate for our communities. We will provide timely and accurate information to you on a regular basis.