Siksika establishes curfew to curb COVID-19 spread

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

In response to the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, a curfew has been instated on Siksika Nation.

The first case of COVID-19 on Siksika Nation was reported on June 11. The numbers have grown since then, with 21 known COVID positive cases there as of July 2, Chief Ouray Crowfoot announced during a video address posted to Facebook on that day.

The total number of Siksika Nation members impacted by the outbreak is much higher, however, as 258 members are under “active investigative and daily follow-up” as of July 1.

“This number has more than quadrupled in the last three days,” said Crowfoot during the address.

Siksika’s Health Services team identified five new unrelated case clusters within the last 12 days (as of July 2), said Crowfoot.

“Each new case cluster makes it more and more challenging to contact trace and isolate individuals fast enough to contain the spread,” he said, adding the risk of community transmission on Siksika Nation remains high.

In response to the outbreak, Siksika Nation announced health measures to reduce the spread of the virus, including limiting non-essential travel between Siksika Nation and surrounding cities, limiting gatherings, and having workplaces, programs and services adopt virtual meetings for regular business when possible.

Then, at the general council meeting of Siksika Nation of Chief and Council on July 3, a motion was passed to institute a daily curfew that will be in effect from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily, until further notice.

The goal of the curfew is to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in Siksika, said Crowfoot, in a video address posted to Facebook on July 3.

“We realize that this virus has disrupted our normal way of life, and the reasons we put these precautions in place is to help to contain this virus and return back to some kind of normalcy at Siksika,” he said.

Anyone found in violation of the curfew will be reported to Gleichen RCMP, according to Siksika Nation administration. Residents required to be out past the curfew, for work or other specific reasons, will be addressed on an as-needed basis, said Crowfoot.