Chief criticizes open schools as We’koqma’q deals with COVID-19 outbreak – CBC

Annie Bernard-Daisley says there are 48 active cases in the community

Feb 02, 2022

The We’koqma’q First Nation in Nova Scotia has shut down some non-essential services as the community deals with a rising number of COVID-19 infections.

Chief Annie Bernard-Daisley said there is no single reason for the outbreak that has so far closed services including the gym and the gaming centre, but she criticized the province’s decision to reopen schools during a wave of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

“What’s wrong with online learning during this huge outbreak?” Bernard-Daisley said Tuesday.

There were about 3,630 active cases of COVID-19 in the province as of Tuesday, including 48 cases on the We’koqma’q First Nation.

Bernard-Daisley said staff shortages have reduced hours at the gas station and band office in the community.

She said having schools and businesses open in Nova Scotia encouraged people to move around, spreading the coronavirus far and wide.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/we-koqma-q-chief-covid-outbreak-1.6335606