SIX NATIONS — Six Nations issued a stern caution to residents that anyone violating quarantine instructions and hosting large gatherings over the Halloween holiday could face fines from local police.
This comes in as the community reports 19 new cases in the week ending October 26 including a confirmed case at the NATIONS/New Start school on Third Line.
The most recent numbers show Six Nations has 23 active coronavirus cases — 88 cases over the entire course of the pandemic, 65 of those have resolved.
In a statement to the community, SNGR urged residents to forego Halloween gatherings said Border Crossing Services are keeping Six Nations Police advised of persons crossing the border and heading to Six Nations and says police will check in on those individuals. Anyone not respecting quarantine instructions could be subject to a $750 fine.
“We must not forget the concerning rate of community transmission happening in Six Nations currently, and we have not received the full data reflective of any potential Thanksgiving gatherings,” said Elected Chief Mark Hill. “We need to just stay home this year, I can do better, you can do better, and we can all do better.”
“If community members don’t take this seriously and just stay home, come November December we could potentially see COVID-19 take over our community.” Said Director of Health Services Lori Davis Hill.
In the surrounding region, Brant County Health Unit is reporting the second highest number of coronavirus cases in one week with a total of 20 new confirmed cases. There are currently 24 active cases, 2 people are hospitalized.
Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Elizabeth Urbantke said health officials are concerned about community spread as seven of the cases reported in the last week could not identify the source of infection. There is also an increase in the number of contacts people are identifying once they are diagnosed.
“As I stated previously, residents need to keep close contact with only those in their own households, as much as possible. This does not mean that you cannot see those outside of your own household, you just must simply keep two metres of distance between yourselves. You should also consider wearing a face covering if your visit will be indoors. If any symptoms consistent with COVID-19 develop, residents should isolate immediately and get tested as soon as possible,” said Urbantke.
Brant County has had 242 confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic with 213 resolved cases and 5 deaths.
Grand Erie District School Board officials confirmed positive coronavirus cases in two school communities in Caledonia: MacKinnon Park Secondary School and River Heights Elementary School.
Haldimand-Norfolk County Health Unit is reporting 25 new cases this week. In total that region is reporting 30 active cases. There have been 531 cases since the pandemic began, 464 recoveries and 32 deaths.
