Lockdowns, border security and social media: How Sask.’s Indigenous communities are tackling COVID

Regardless of where you are located within the province, the COVID response has differed.

The same can be said within Saskatchewan’s 72 Indigenous communities. From partial to full lockdowns to an increased push on social media and communication to even the way food and shelter are accessed, the pandemic’s effects are drastic.

When looking at Saskatchewan’s north, the tackling of COVID has many complexities. Those are largely based on the actual geography surrounding the Indigenous communities, according to Dr. Nnamdi Ndubuka, a medical health officer with the NITHA (Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority).

“The geography alone in the north is very challenging. Also, the issue of housing is also a critical one,” he said. “We have crowded housing situations, so preventing transmission within the household of 10 to 15 people is not very optimal. It’s a huge challenge.”

The NITHA is grappling with a current surge of COVID cases. According to its website, as of Monday, 196 COVID cases were active within the NITHA’s 33 communities.

Since the pandemic began, 427 cases have been present within the communities, along with two deaths occurring through the time period.

Ndubuka said issues such as homelessness, food security and the cost of food also hurt the area.

When it comes to how these cases are being transmitted, Ndubuka said a majority are related to travel and mass gatherings.

“We’ve also seen cases that have been reported, most recently, from individuals who have hosted parties even when they knew that the case was present in the home,” he explained.

“Most of the communities have imposed non-essential travel restrictions and only allowing essential trips either for medical appointments (or groceries). We believe that minimizing movement in and out of the communities is helping, but a lot of work needs to be done (to control) the amount of gatherings.”

As these cases in the north continue to rise, shifting attention to the south shows a totally different tale of COVID response.

Gaylene Anaquod is the pandemic lead for the File Hills-Qu’Appelle Tribal Council (FHQ).

“One of the differences between the north and the south … is the proximity to the urban centres,” she explained, pointing to proximity to Regina for communities such as the Pasqua First Nation, the Muscowpetung First Nation and the Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation.

“A lot of the connection and the impact of positive cases increases the level of risks to the First Nation community … (Some) have border security (and) checkpoints in place.”

Throughout the pandemic, these communities have been able to keep their distance from COVID. Anaquod said borders have helped, with some communities only allowing members access within the areas.

Only around five COVID cases have entered the communities since the pandemic began in March. Anaquod said it all begins with the leadership in those areas, along with knowledge within the community.

“I know just in general, social media, scanning and monitoring, a lot of the citizens in the First Nations are taking it upon themselves to become individually informed, making sure they understand and know the level of risk,” she explains.

Yorkton saw a significant COVID outbreak around a month ago.

Yet according to Bonnie Austman, the emergency response planning co-ordinator for Yorkton Tribal Council (YTC), only one case was found within its members.

“Our communities have been very strict in what they are doing. We did have one community that was affected by COVID. They took very strict regulations. They had lockdowns (and) they had security set up,” she said. “We are all ready in the event that something does come.”

The lone case was on the Cote First Nation, which saw areas of localized outbreaks in Kamsack and Pelly. But how do those communities stay away from areas such as Yorkton during its outbreak?

Word of mouth, said Austman.

“When Yorkton initially had their outbreak … it was that the communities were (saying), ‘Don’t go to Yorkton, there’s a hotspot there,’ ” she explains. “People, they’re very aware … They’re making do with going to the communities surrounding them.”

Although things are calm in those communities now, it doesn’t mean work isn’t being done to mitigate any risk that imposes on the communities, Austman explains.

“The plans are working, being updated about weekly now, just ensuring that our communities are being safe. All of our communities have perimeters set up. One is actually in lockdown, but there are no cases. There (have) just been cases in the area so they just want to protect their people,” she said.

All three pandemic responders had one common message when looking at the pandemic, however.

Regardless of geography, proximity, messaging, continuous monitoring and adhering to the public health guidelines is a must to ensure safety within the borders of all Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan.