First Nations in Ontario's northwest restrict travel, some in lockdown over Omicron concerns

First Nations in northwestern Ontario are locking down as the Omicron variant and a rise of COVID-19 cases begin to pose a threat to dozens of northern communities.

The regional lockdown was implemented Thursday after 33 First Nation chiefs passed a resolution aimed at restricting travel in and out of communities.

The resolution also looks to ramp up support and co-ordination among various partners to aid in pandemic responses, and preserve the already limited resources in some communities.

"A small remote First Nations community, when they have … an outbreak of COVID at the community level can really cripple a community in terms of their day-to-day operations," said Dr. Lloyd Douglas, the top public health physician for the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority (SLFNHA).

Douglas told CBC News in an interview that he called the general meeting with the chiefs of each community in the SLFNHA catchment area after the agency began to see the "writing on the wall," as positive cases started popping up over the last several days.

Douglas said that as of Thursday, there were about 70 cases confirmed over six First Nations.

The lockdown means restrictions on indoor gatherings and "serious" non-essential travel restrictions, with each community monitoring its borders closely, according to Douglas.

The chiefs in assembly directed SLFNHA to take a lead role in a regional pandemic response, to avoid further strain on any of the northern First Nation should an outbreak occur. The health authority will also provide guidance to all 33 communities on the length of the lockdown.

Douglas describes the decision of the assembly as "pulling the breaks" and will reassess in the next two weeks.

For some communities that already implemented restrictions earlier this month, the lockdown won't change much.

Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug was the first to restrict travel, on Dec. 13. Community members were allowed to travel to smaller communities in the area, like Sioux Lookout, Dryden and Kenora. But non-essential travel further than that, for example, to larger urban centres like Winnipeg or Thunder Bay, has already been restricted.

Chief Donny Morris told CBC News the regional response will only "strengthen" current restrictions.

"Our doctors will discuss all patients with our membership and they'll decide who will be able to go out that is an urgent medical requirement. And right now, anybody just for the sake of travelling is not allowed to travel," he told CBC News in an interview.

"This is real, this is coming and we've got to have whatever means of preparing our community to prevent this virus from coming in."