Daily Task Force Update April 23

Kahnawake’s Covid-19 Task Force daily update today featured Corporal John D. Delormier of the Kahnawake Peacekeepers who spoke about how the Peacekeepers are handling sanitary procedures while working. Delormier said measures taken include changing into uniforms that were already sanitized upon entering the station, as well as having to clean their vehicles after each use. He also mentioned that Peacekeepers respond to calls while wearing masks and gloves and wash their hands after each interaction, among other procedures.

Lisa Westaway, the Executive Director at the Kateri Memorial Hospital Center, said a total of 187 people have been tested at the testing site for symptoms of Covid-19. Westaway said that is not a large enough sample to determine how the community is doing. She said KMHC staff will soon begin calling community members at their homes for a health check over the phone to determine whether someone should get tested. She said multiple testing sites are planned to be set up in different locations in Kahnawake.

Arnold Lazare, the former Director of Public Safety, stressed the task force’s guiding principles. Lazare said “Kahnawake is for residents only, and is only operating only on essential services. We’re doing this in an effort to protect our vulnerable people…By the end of the month, it is the intention of the Task Force to reevaluate all of the directives.”