PAGC Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte is among several Saskatchewan First Nations leaders speaking out against a plan by the province to lift mandates. (File photo/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Community safety

‘We are not prepared to put the lives of our families at risk’: First Nations leaders concerned about government’s plan to lift restrictions

Feb 9, 2022 | 2:00 PM

The organization that represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan, is calling on the provincial government to reconsider terminating COVID-19 health mandates and protocols in Saskatchewan, claiming it puts First Nations communities at greater risk.

On Tuesday, Premier Scott Moe announced the proof of vaccination requirement would end on Feb. 14, and the province’s remaining COVID-19 protocols, including mandatory masking, would end by March 1.

According to a a joint statement issued by the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), Yorkton Tribal Council (YTC), Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC), Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs (BATC), and the Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC), First Nations are one of the most vulnerable populations in the province, and ending the public health protocols will only increase outbreaks and emergencies in their communities.

“We are not prepared to put the lives of our families at risk,” FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said.

Cameron went on to explain the fight against COVID-19 is not over, therefore, First Nations communities will continue to follow all our current safety measures and COVID protocols until the pandemic is over.

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“It is not safe to ease any restrictions. Our First Nations communities are still currently at a greater risk than the rest of the province and we must keep them safe. We will continue to encourage our people to get vaccinated and eliminate infections in our communities completely,” he said.

PAGC Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte also re-iterated that COVID-19 a serious threat and confirmed the communities will follow the directives from the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (NITHA).

“If there is any doubt about the threat of this virus, then we should err on the side of caution, not carelessness,” he said. “We trust that our Medical Health Officer is monitoring the situation on a daily basis, and that he will determine changes depending on the best available evidence. At this time, we can not let our guards down and we will continue to practice all safety precautions as directed.”

Neil Sasakamoose, Executive Director of the Battleford Agency Tribal Chiefs, encouraged communities to remain vigilant and continue to follow all necessary COVID-19 health measures to ensure the overall safety of their communities and membership.

“Our frontline workers and health staff have been working tirelessly to maintain health and safety measures and we urge all nations to continue to support them and continue to follow any health mandates necessary for the protection of our people and communities,” he said.

Response from NITHA

Dr. Nnamdi Ndubuka, the Medical Health Officer for the NITHA, said he is very concerned about the provincial government’s decision to lift restrictions and protocols.

One reason cited is that many communities in the north are lagging behind in terms of vaccination coverage. Ndubuka also explained the Omnicron variant has not yet reached its peak, adding traditionally the north lags behind other areas of the province by about two to three weeks.

“Right now we believe we might likely peak in terms of case numbers and hospitalizations in the weeks ahead, so rolling back the restrictions at this point is really untimely for us in the north as well as first nations overall,” he said.

NITHA is responsible for 33 First Nations communities in Saskatchewan, which represents a population of 55,000. While explaining vaccination rates vary from community to community, Ndubuka said about 60 per cent of their eligible members (five years of age and older) are fully vaccinated with two doses. Just 16 per cent of those 18 and older have received their booster dose.

“So while the Chiefs and councils and pandemic teams and health teams are still doing their best and working so hard to increase the numbers, removing the proof of vaccination and other stuff will negate the hard work,” Ndubuka said.

Noting the outbreaks that occurred last year, and the tight restrictions that followed, Ndubuka acknowledged the situation as a whole is improving, but added they are not at the point where they can let their guard down.

“We need a phased-in approach that would consider the end goal and identify specific indicators to reaching that goal,” he said, adding it should be something similar to when the province initially released its re-open roadmap.

“I think that is what we need to clearly transition from a pandemic to an endemic situation.”

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell