Red Alert to Force Several Businesses to Close in Kahnawake

As of 6 am tomorrow (Thursday), Kahnawake will be under its own Red alert for COVID-19. This after an increase in cases both within and outside of the community. “We have five cases in the community,” said Lisa Westaway, the Executive Director of the Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre. “We see that there is a possibility that there are other cases and therefore, because of the unpredicatbility of this, we feel it is neccessarry to move to a state of red alert. This allows us to have a little bit more control over our environment and contain the virus as much as possible.”

“We believe that Quebec has lost control of the containment of the virus,” Commissioner of Public Safety Lloyd Phillips said on Kahnawake 911 on Facebook Wednesday afternoon.

“We are asking people to stay local as much as possible,” Phillips said. “We understand that people have business to take care of.”

Effective on Thursday as well visits will no longer be allowed at the KMHC, Independant Living Centre and at the Turtle Bay Elders Lodge.

Effective at 12:01 Sunday morning several business in the community will have to cease operation or modify they way they operate. Restaurants will have to close their dinning areas and move to pick-up and delivery only. The cigar lounges as well as the gaming houses will be required to close.

The schools will be moving as quickly as possible to remote learning. The bus service for children who attend outside schools will continue.

Public gatherings will be prohibited with exceptions for funerals, religious services and psycho-social services.

Organized team sports will have to cease effective immediately.

“It is a very very trying time for everybody, including us at the Task Force” Phillips said. “We don’t take these measures lightly. We don’t take any pleasure in telling businesses they have to cease operating. But we are doing it with the best intent for our community to protect the children to protect the elders, to protect everybody.”