COVID Positives Double to 16 in Kahnawake
Written by Paul Graif on 16 July 2021
The number of new COVID-19 cases in Kahnawake doubled from eight to 16 in the 24 hours between Wednesday and Thursday evenings. There are more than 50 people who are in 14 day isolation as a result of close contact, according to Kahnawake Public Safety and Public Safety.
“It was not unexpected to get more cases, but yes, it was unexpected to have so many cases at once. So it is a surprise,” Executive Director of the Kateri Memorial Hospital Center (KMHC) Lisa Westaway said on the Morning D on K1037. “What it tells us is that we’re not necessarily following the masking and distancing measures with people who are outside of our home when we need to. It is also telling us that when we have COVID symptoms we’re not getting tested and that is more important to me because COVID is going to be with us for a really long time.”
Commissioner of Public Safety Lloyd Phillips says that it’s unlikely that Kahnawake will revert from the current green zone status.
“We had to loosen measures. We had to move forward and learn to live with COVID,” Phillips said. “That’s what we’ve been trying to emphasize, now it becomes more of an individual responsibility to ensure that you’re following public health measures, to ensure that you’re wearing your mask.”
