Some Fires Now Allowed in Kahnawake, With Conditions
Written by Paul Graif on 7 April 2020
The Kahnawake Fire Brigade (KFB) has adjusted the complete fire ban. The KFB will allow certain fires in the community, but with conditions. Small campfires will be permitted if the following conditions are met: If the fire is made in an appropriate fire resistant device. If it’s in a fire pit no larger than three feet by three feet and that it is partially enclosed (steel rim, rocks, cement blocks, etc.) Proper extinguishing agent be readily available and nearby. The participants respect the ‘SAME HOUSEHOLD’ rule. (no friends or neighbors, only people who live in said house).
Arnold Lazare, who has now been activated as a fill in for Lloyd Phillips, said the goal of the Task Force is not to limit people from doing things. “All of our decisions are made to prevent people from getting infected,” Lazare said.
Additional personal protective equipment will be picked up tomorrow. It will be distributed to all front line workers in Kahnawake. There is enough to last for the foreseeable future according to Commissioner of Public Safety Lloyd Phillips.
Phillips says all of the signs, limiting access to Kahnawake to non residents, will be put up on Wednesday.
In Quebec, the numbers show that the number of positive Covid-19 cases is expected to peak on or around April 18th.
The Kateri Memorial Hospital Center (KMHC) testing site will be reducing hours starting on Wednesday. The phone lines will still be open 8 am to 4 pm every day at 450-638-3930 Ext. 2296 or Ext. 2275. The actual testing will only be done between 11 am and 4 pm, 7-days a week. “We are not receiving a lot of calls,” KMHC Executive Director Lisa Westaway said. The testing site will be completely closed for the four-day Easter holiday. In the meantime if you develop symptoms you should immediately self isolate and call the appropriate numbers. “My goal is to give my staff a much needed break so that when they come back they are fresh and able to keep working,” Westaway said.
There have not been any hospitalizations among those who have tested positive in Kahnawake. “But we can not use as a reason to let our guards down,” Westaway said.
