10-people gatherings ‘not supported’ for Kahnawake, says task force
Written by Paul Graif on 21 May 2020
While the province of Quebec moves to soften some social distancing measures, restrictions in Kahnawake will remain the same.
According to an announcement made by the province on Wednesday, outdoor gatherings of up to ten people will be permitted starting on May 22. That won’t be the case in Kahnawake.
“At the current time, with the current measures, that has not been supported for Kahnawake,” said task force member Arnold Lazare in a daily update on Thursday. “The numbers that we are experiencing – or not experiencing- are a testimony that what we’re doing is right.”
Lazare said the task force has seen an increase in tensions in the community between people who are eager for reopenings and those who do not. “We’re trying to make decisions in an incremental to ensure that health and safety is maintained,” he said.
Chief Peacekeeper Dwayne Zachary said the force is taking a conservative approach to reopening and said that the approach will be evaluated over the next few days.
“It doesn’t matter what Quebec says, it doesn’t matter what Canada is doing, what we’re saying here in Kahnawake are those set of directives,” said Zachary.
The task force has set a target of June 1 for the first phase of reopening in the community.
