First Nation leader from Lake Nipigon warns about insidious nature of COVID-19 – Manitoulin Expositor
April 29, 2020
GULL BAY – The chief of a Northwestern Ontario First Nation that is experiencing a six-patient outbreak of COVID-19 is urging all people, especially those within First Nation communities, to take the threat seriously and to use his community’s example as a cautionary tale.
“You have to be vigilant and social distancing is so critical. Chiefs and councils really have to ensure members are following this. When we were hit by this coronavirus, there were still some people not taking it seriously. The majority are, but there’s still a few not heeding the warnings” Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek (Gull Bay First Nation) Chief Wilfred King told The Expositor.
Last Wednesday, April 22, Aboriginal Peoples’ Television Network (APTN) reporter Willow Fiddler published a report about an increased total of six cases of COVID-19 in the small First Nation located on the western shores of Lake Nipigon.
Within the story, Chief King urged for the availability of more on-reserve testing so he and his community could determine the extent of the outbreak and stop it before it became unmanageable.
