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Education officials in Kahnawake say they are considering “all scenarios” for what the future may hold if the May 4 target for reopening schools be extended.

“We’re anticipating what the next phase would look like if the school year was once again going to continue to be closed after May,” said director of the Kahnawake Education Center (KEC), Robin Delaronde, in a community address on Sunday. “What would education look like? What would we be doing? What would our educators be doing? How would we be planning for the onset of the new school year?”

At present, some schools in the community like the Kahnawake Survival School (KSS) are using online learning tools. KSS has seen a 90 percent success rate with students accessing online learning platforms, according to Delaronde.

Progress reports and year-end marks for students in elementary and high school is one key area the centre is planning for. 

“I know that many parents—and we as well—are concerned about the type of progress and year-end remarks students will get,“ said Delaronde. She said the centre is keeping in touch with the province and that decisions about student reports will be coming ‘shortly.’

On Friday, Quebec’s premier Francois Legault announced schools and daycares across the province could reopen before the May 4 target—a move that sparked pushback from parents and teachers. A petition calling for closures until September has acquired more than 175 thousand signatures. 

Delaronde said more information about future plans will be made available to the community in the coming weeks, noting that health and safety is top priority. “Whatever decisions we make have to be guided by health and safety, of what we’re seeing here in Kahnawake and in the province,” said Delaronde. “We want to make sure any return to our schools is for the safety of all.”

The May 4 target for reopening schools in the province is fast approaching and education officials in Kahnawake are looking at ‘all scenarios’ for what the future may hold. 

“We’re anticipating what the next phase would look like if the school year was once again going to continue to be closed after May,” said director of the Kahnawake Education Center (KEC), Robin Delaronde, in a community address on Sunday.

“What would education look like? What would we be doing? What would our educators be doing? How would we be planning for the onset of the new school year?” said Delaronde.

At present, some schools in the community like the Kahnawake Survival School (KSS) are using online learning tools. KSS has seen a 90 percent success rate with students accessing online learning platforms, according to Delaronde.

Progress reports and year-end marks for students in elementary and high school is one key area the centre is planning for. 

“I know that many parents—and we as well—are concerned about the type of progress and year-end remarks students will get,“ said Delaronde. She said the centre is keeping in touch with the province and that decisions about student reports will be coming ‘shortly.’

On Friday, Quebec’s premier Francois Legault announced schools and daycares across the province could reopen before the May 4 target—a move that sparked pushback from parents and teachers. A petition calling for closures until September has acquired more than 175 thousand signatures. 

Delaronde said more information about future plans will be made available to the community in the coming weeks, noting that health and safety is top priority. “Whatever decisions we make have to be guided by health and safety, of what we’re seeing here in Kahnawake and in the province,” said Delaronde. “We want to make sure any return to our schools is for the safety of all. “

At the Kahnawake Youth Center (KYC), the first of three daily cleaning crews starts disinfecting at 3 a.m. to make sure the center is ready to receive the children of essential, front-line workers. 

In a community address on Saturday, KYC director Kyle Zacharie said it’s a “team effort” with the Kahnawake Education Centre and the Kahnawake Shakotiia’takenhas Community Services (KSCS) staff pitching in to make sure the services are available. 

The center is following directives from the Kahnawake task force as well as the province. “We’re doing everything we can to keep everybody safe,” said Zacharie.

Meanwhile, over at the Step by Step Child and Family Center, daily traffic has reduced by around 90 per cent, according to the centre’s executive director, Natalie Beauvais.  

Like the KYC, Step by Step is providing emergency daycare services to front-line, essential workers. 

“It’s been going on for four weeks now that we’ve been doing this special emergency childcare,” said Beauvais. “We average between zero and ten children per day.”

Beauvais said the centre has implemented strict measures to ensure there is no transmission. The centre has halted classroom visits, now requiring all visitors to stop at reception, and is operating with a skeleton staff. 

Classroom sizes have been capped at 4-6 children per educator and children are no longer going for outdoor walks in the community, instead remaining on the centre’s property. Fewer toys are present in classrooms, and the ones that remain are disinfected daily. 

Beauvais said staff are not wearing Personal Protective Equipment at this time since it has not been mandated by the province. 

“We put our best foot forward and sometimes we have to reflect on the decisions we’ve made,” said Beauvais. “By consulting with others then we’re able to move forward. At the end of the day, we are all here for the best interests of everyone within our community.”

Kateri Memorial Hospital Center Dr. Annick Gauthier wasn’t mincing words in her daily update to Kahnawakero’non. 

“Today I want to show you my frustration,” said Gauthier in her 4 p.m. address as part of the Kahnawake 911 task force daily briefing. “I am despaired by what is going on.”

Gauthier is urging the community to continue following strict social distancing protocols into the long weekend. This after recent numbers released yesterday by the Monteregie health authority, inidcating 12 positive cases in Kahnawake, have caused some to question the need for strict distancing measures. 

Gauthier says a more accurate measure of the pandemic is to look at the  number of hospitalizations and deaths, instead of the number of cases.

In a best-case scenario, more than twelve hundred people in Quebec will die from COVID-19 by the end of this month, according to modelling released by the province’s public health agency earlier this week. To date, 241 people have died in the province. A worst-case scenario puts that number closer to nine thousand. 

Commissioner of Public Safety, Lloyd Phillips said he wants to see that number at zero for Kahnawake. 

“The next two weeks will be critical.” said Phillips in the Friday afternoon address.  “I know it’s frustrating, I know a lot of people are mentioning things on Facebook and asking ‘when is this going to end?’ but we’re at crunch time now.”

In Quebec 50% of deaths are from those living in long term care facilities. It is bringing to light the issue of understaffing at many long term care facilities in the province according to Lisa Westaway, the Executive Director Kateri Memorial Hospital Center (KMHC).

Quebec has put in a directive that all residents and employees at these facilities should be tested. “We have not received that directive here. We do not have any suspect cases at the present time at the KMHC or the Elders Lodge,” Westaway said.

“At KMHC we have an infection prevention and control nurse. We have a higher nurse to patient ratio in order to maintain a better quality of care for our residents. We think that is why we have no positive cases. We have procedures in place that are above and beyond. We feel the hospital is one of the safest places to be in. We feel that going to the hospital is much safer than going to the grocery store. It is because of the staff,” Westaway said.   

It is because extremely high standards of cleaning and hygiene are maintained at the KMHC.

“We have a philosophy: If you use it, you must clean it. After they use a piece of equipment they wipe is down with a hospital approved disinfectant,” Leslie Walker-Rice, the Infection Prevention and Control Nurse at the KMHC, said. She sang the praises of the housekeeping staff at the KMHC. Indicating that each patient’s room is cleaned at least once a day. The bathrooms are cleaned three to five times a day.

138 tests have been completed at the testing site in Kahnawake since is opened. It is now closed for the long holiday weekend. It will open on Tuesday at 11 am. In the meantime, if you are experiencing symptoms, you should self-isolate for 14 days. You should also call the KMHC for a test at 450-638-3930 Ext. 2296 or Ext. 2275. Or 811.

Over 300 payments totaling over $444 000 have been issued in recent days for those seeking relief in Kahnawake from a loss of work due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Mohawk Council of Kahnawake Chief Gina Deer said that they have finalized the applications for the business that were forced to shut down. They will begin the process of paying out to the businesses as early as tomorrow (Thursday). 120 business have called and 112 have completed the surveys according to Deer.

After receiving an early $1 million divided from Mohawk Online Inc. earlier in the day, there is now $10 million in the Kahnawake Emergency Relief Fund. “We realize the $10 million will go quickly,” Deer said. “We are hoping this will be a 90 day fund that we can utilise and then we can reasses.”

19 signs were erected in Kahnawake today, limiting access to the territory to residents, deliveries and essential workers. Peacekeeper Chief Dwayne Zacharie said that they are receiving a great deal of calls about non-locals coming to Kahnawake in search of cigarettes. “Please continue to do that so we can deal with it. Don’t intervene,” Zacharie said.

“I appreciate all the good work you’re doing. The task force is working very hard for your safety and security. Good job Kahnawake. Keep it up, continue to do what you’re doing.”

Zacharie asked drivers to please obey the rules of the road and drive safely. He says his department is getting a huge number of calls about 4-wheelers and similar vehicles on the roads. We are hearing of really young kids riding them. Please don’t allow it. Many are riding without helmets. Please stay off the roadways with those vehicles.”

Commissioner of Public Safety Lloyd Phillips says that based on Quebec’s projections, the numbers of positive cases and deaths will continue to rise in the province. “We are at the beginning of the wave and there is a larger wave to come,” Phillips said. “It may hit us hard and hit us fast and hopefully pass us as quickly as possible.”

“The next few weeks are going to be the most difficult weeks. We have to keep preparing for what is to come,” Kateri Memorial Hospital Center (KMHC) Executive Director Lisa Westaway said.

When Covd-19 hits close to home. K1037 afternoon drive host Abigail Jacobs, contracted and has recovered from Covid-19.

Jacobs says she began experiencing symptoms after being in contact with someone who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Jacobs went for a test on March 20^th at the testing site in St Jean Sur Richelieu.

“My result had actually come back negative. But as I was waiting for my results, my symptoms had begun to progress so I eventually went for a second test,” Jacobs said. She had that test done at the Kateri Memorial Hospital Center (KMHC) Site on March 29^th.

“I explained to them that I received a negative result but my symptoms had gotten worse and from everything that I told them, I had: heavy breathing, very very heavy bad chest pains, rolling low grade fever, no energy, so lethargic, no appetite. Everything basically that they will tell you, your checklist, I had really started to get.”

Jacobs said she followed the regulations put in place by the Kahnawake Covid-19 Task Force almost immediately at her home.

“My children were also tested because we’re always together. I had been self-isolating and quarantining in my house from about the 15^th of March.”

She found out on April 3^rd that her second test had come back positive. At that point she had one day left in her mandatory self-quarantine. She says she is now feeling 100%.

“Either way unfortunately what I came down to was that there isn’t any treatment for this. So, either way the best thing to do is to stay home and try and stay calm and just rest. Let your body rest.”

Jacobs is pregnant, expecting her third child in August. All is well.  

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.

Peacekeeper Chief Dwayne Zacharie said that on Saturday his officers issued 12 tickets to non-locals for coming onto the territory in the search of tobacco products.

On Sunday, a Non-local male, who had been out of town, came in to the community and was arrested and will be charged.

Zacharie says they are still getting a lot of calls of people congregating. He says that many are going to parks and coming together. “We haven’t issued any fines to anyone in the territory yet. But we will begin issuing them to locals as well for non compliance,” Zacharie said.

Kahnawake Fire Brigade Chief David Scott said that effective immediately for all Ambulance calls the Paramedics will wear a gown, gloves and a face mask. “It is for their protection and for your protection as well,” Scott said.

There is now a total fire ban in Kahnawake. The risk of fire is high in the region according to Scott. He says that includes a ban on personal bonfires and grass fires.

All of Quebec is considered community transmission for Covid-19. For health and social workers in Kahnawake it means that any employee who is working directly with a patient will now be wearing a mask. If you have an appointment at the KMHC for any health related issue you can expect that the health worker who will be working closely with a patient, will now don protective equipment in all cases.  

Kateri Memorial Hospital Center (KMHC) Executive Director Lisa Westaway says at the KMHC testing site there were seven more tests performed today.

Westaway said that those performing tests on the patients at the site, do not see your results. They are sent to Dr Annick Gauthier. They are also sent to Public Health if you test positive. Public Health will follow up with you every two days by phone. Confidentiality is guaranteed, Westaway said.

Commissioner of Public Safety Lloyd Phillips says some signs will be going up in the community stating that Kahnawake is for Kahnawaero:non, deliveries and essential workers only. Along Highways 138, 132 and 207 signs will be erected on Tuedsday saying that those roads are for Mercier Bridge access only. Another sign, posted at the entrances to the residential areas will read: “Residents Only. Non-Residents Subject to Fines”. They will be in both English and French.

There are no more EXO buses in Kahnawake for the time being. On its website EXO, still commonly referred to as CITSO in Kahnawake, says that Line 98 has been suspended indefinitely at the request of the Kahnawake Covid-19 task Force.