Yurok Tribal Council Votes to Reopen Reservation – Yurok-Affiliated Entities Will Open in Stages
Yurok staff member Cassandra Charles packs a food box for Tribal elders. [Photo provided by the Yurok Tribe]
The Yurok Tribe is implementing a phased approach to safely reopening the Yurok Reservation, while continuing to closely monitor for COVID-19.
The Yurok Tribal Council recently voted to initiate a Yurok Incident Management Team-developed reengagement plan, following six consecutive months without a single confirmed Covid-19 case on the reservation, which is a testament to the Tribe’s timely response to this crisis. While the reservation is now open to all, residents and visitors are advised to practice all personal safety measures, such as wearing a face covering while outside of the home.
“We are taking a deliberate and cautious approach to reopening the tribal government offices and businesses. Over the next few months, the incident command team will continue to operate but on a reduced scale. If there is a spike in cases, we have a mechanism in place to quickly reassemble the team,” said Joseph L. James, the Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. “I would like to thank the community and especially reservation business owners for the key role they are playing in preventing the spread of the illness.”
“We are going to remain vigilant through the winter if not longer and have a plan in place to rapidly restore the full incident management team should the need arise. I would like to remind the community to continue performing all of the recommended safety measures, such as practicing physical distancing and wearing a mask,” added Serene Hayden, who is the Incident Commander and the Director of the Yurok Tribe’s Office of Emergency Services.
The tribal government will open in stages based on the detailed reopening plan and the results of the now widely available COVID-19 tests. Currently, the test is available multiple times a week at locations on both sides of the reservation. At a minimum, the tests will be offered to all residents through the end of November.
As a proactive safety measure, the Tribal Council declared an emergency on March 13, 2020 and closed all Yurok-affiliated building to the public, except for these deemed essential. In an effort to protect vulnerable elders and those with preexisting medical conditions, the Tribe closed the reservation on April 6, 2020. To date, the Tribe has enacted a series of orders to limit the spread of the virus, including an active order requiring all residents to wear masks when outside of the home.
Since March, the Tribe has provided different types of assistance to elders, families, individual citizens and businesses. For example, food boxes, personal protective equipment and disinfectants were delivered to elders in Humboldt, Del Norte and Trinity Counties. The Tribe disbursed direct financial relief to Yurok citizens and businesses owners. To assist students with distance learning, the Tribe has also distributed school supplies at five locations and will soon dispense digital learning devices to all enrolled Yurok youth as well as color printers to each Yurok household.
If you have questions or need assistance please call the Yurok Office of Emergency Services hotline 1-888-225-8952.
*Redwood Hotel is open at 30 percent of capacity.
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Yuroks should get the IHS to examine the Winthrop hospital, Mineola N.Y. clinical trial results in using oxygen therapy by hyperbaric. Both mono or multi place chambers are being used globally saving lives.
The FDA approves medical device use and for this effective treatment for the respiratory problems and cytokine storm they have refused its emergency use. Instead the pandemic response plan did not look at the past science and data and went to PPE, social distancing and oxygen treatment by masks and then to intubation with mechanical ventilators which the data shows is not very successful in saving patient lives.
Does the Indian Health Service care or are they under orders not to rock the proverbial boat. Profit drives corporations and their corporate cash drives the actions and inactions of our U.S. Representatives.
A good journalist would look into this deeper and see if there were links driving the pandemic response to use intubation with mechanical ventilators. Follow the money. Find the board of directors and corporate officers and then look up who were on the key Committees and those with the FDA and their disclosures of financial interest. Then check the money trail on line with Open Secrets.
Hate it when profit comes before the lives of people because from my view, lack of a treatment option (not a cure) is currently killing people across the nation.