Indigenous community in Northern B.C. closes access to non-residents to curb COVID-19
CBC
The Lheidli T'enneh First Nation near Prince George, B.C., is being closed to non-residents until mid-October amid the latest uptick in COVID-19 cases in the community.
On Saturday, the First Nation announced an order to restrict access, effective Sunday at 6 p.m. Only residents, essential staff who provide services to these residents, and contractors who work on Lheidli T'enneh's projects are allowed to enter the First Nation's northern and southern subdivisions.
"Prince George has one of the highest COVID-19 case numbers of any B.C. community for the past couple of weeks," said Lheidli T'enneh's written statement. "The restricted access order will remain in place until Tuesday, Oct. 12."
Latest data from B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) shows that the Prince George local health area — including the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation — recorded 280 COVID-19 cases from Sept. 19‒25, which translated into one of the highest daily rates of coronavirus infection per 100,000 people in the province.
Dr. Shannon McDonald, the acting chief medical officer of First Nations Health Authority, says she isn't surprised at the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation's decision to close its community.
"Communities are very concerned, and they have the ability to be self-determining, and the perception of people outside the community having brought the virus into the community is very strong, though not entirely correct.
"Mostly people get COVID from people in their own household or their close contacts, so individuals who leave the community who go into Prince George to do the business that they need to do [and] return are as likely to bring in the virus as anyone from outside the community," McDonald said Monday to host Carolina de Ryk on CBC's Daybreak North.
This story is part of CBC Health's Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.
Mohawk code talkers and their missions were so vital during the Second World War, that some believe without them, there was no way of winning of the war.
Two feisty ferret babies in Virginia are being hailed as a symbol of hope for the future of their species.
On day one of Donald Trump's presidency, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he'll be advising Trump to take fluoride out of public water. The former independent presidential hopeful — and prominent proponent of debunked public health claims — has been told he'll be put in charge of health initiatives in the new Trump administration. He's described fluoride as "industrial waste."
An RCMP national security unit monitored First Nations-led anti-pipeline activism for "potential threats" to the energy, transportation and banking sectors between 2021 and 2022, internal police documents show.
WARNING: this story contains details of cultural items being forcibly removed
Rachelle and Kelly Swan live in a relatively cramped space now. But the upside to their rented low-income government house is that it's away from the haunting site their family occupied for two years, filled with screeches, high-pitched chirps and squeaks from constantly flapping bats.
Fort Erie, Ont., resident Mike Nayler never thought he'd see his "four-legged daughter" Minnie again after surrendering her to a shelter two years ago.
Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency said Monday that at least 10 people have died as a series of volcanic eruptions widens on the remote island of Flores.
A group representing hunters in the Nordic countries says it's more optimistic than ever that the European Union will lift a longtime ban on trading seal products.
Two female Indigenous teams from Canada clinched silver and bronze at the International Federation of Broomball Associations (IFBA) World Broomball Championships last week.