Roadblocks come down on Manitoulin Island as pandemic fears ease – CTV News
June 9, 2020
SUDBURY — A non-essential travel ban that had been enacted around M’Chigeeng First Nation has been lifted, CTV News reporter Ian Campbell has confirmed.
The ban was imposed early in May in response to COVID-19 fears. At the time, Chief Linda Debassige said it was an attempt both to keep tourists away from the area to prevent the spread of the pandemic, and to keep residents from leaving and coming back, potentially bringing the virus into the community.
In Debassige’s notice of non-essential travel ban, she said they had seen traffic stopping within their borders. They also saw their own members travelling to places like Sudbury and Toronto where the risk of COVID-19 is higher.
“We understand this will cause much frustration and will create a huge inconvenience to all of our citizens and our neighbours,” Debassige wrote in her letter.
