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Fort William First Nation reports first COVID-19 case

As a result of the positive case more restrictions are expected in the community though businesses are not expected to close
Peter Collins
Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins said the emergency response team will monitor the positive case of COVID-19 in the community closely.

FORT WILLIAM FIRST NATION - After avoiding any positive cases since the start of the pandemic, Fort William First Nation is reporting it’s first case of COVID-19, which will result in further community restrictions.

“We’re not living a shell. We thought it was going to come here,” said Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins. “We took every measure to protect that from happening, but when you have to go to work, it is what is and we will deal with it as we go forward.”

Collins learned of the positive case late Thursday afternoon and it involves a community member who is believed to have contracted COVID-19 while working outside of the community.

“We’ve taken every measure to make sure the family is staying safe and also mindful of the surrounding around the rest of our community members,” Collins said. “Our emergency response team has been working since we got notified to make sure the family has adequate supplies and the members are well informed of the situation.”

Earlier this week, Fort William First Nation implemented checkpoints on Mission Road to restrict people from entering the community for non-essential reasons.

Collins said there will be further lockdowns in place in light of the positive case, but the Band Council will need to determine what those restrictions look like this weekend.

As of Friday, Collins said it will most likely involve closure of the hockey arena and bingo hall, while businesses are expected to remain open.

“That is a discussion we will leave with council,” Collins said. “Our emergency response team have made some recommendations but the businesses are not part of that recommendation yet.”

Collins said they will continue to monitor the situation and take whatever actions are necessary to keep the community safe.

“Those fears are always going to be there, no matter what community you come from,” he said. “We are all afraid of picking up this virus and god forbid this grows in our community.”



Doug Diaczuk

About the Author: Doug Diaczuk

Doug Diaczuk is a reporter and award-winning author from Thunder Bay. He has a master’s degree in English from Lakehead University
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