The Canim Lake First Nation instituted a lockdown to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, after an outbreak on the reserve. Image Credit: Global BC

By Adam Donnelly

COVID-19 CASES RISING

Northern Secwepemc communities working hard to slow COVID-19 outbreaks

Jan 22, 2021 | 3:46 PM

CANIM LAKE, B.C. — For months, the Interior and Cariboo regions of the province were largely spared from the full force of the COVID-19, likely due to geography and limited travel.

However, since Christmas, the virus has gained a foothold in more communities in the middle of the province. Small First Nations communities, like the Canim Lake Band, are taking the brunt of the cases.

“On January 5th, we heard of the first case,” Chief Helen Henderson of the Canim Lake Band tells CFJC Today. “Within four or five days, we were up to 32 cases. Within six days we were up to 60-plus cases.”

The Williams Lake First Nation is another community dealing with a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases. According to Chief Willie Sellars, a sense of security led to complacency, which led to multiple infections.

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“We’re more rural, or more remote than those big urban centres where you see the numbers all coming from,” Chief Sellars explains. “People thought it wasn’t going to come here, or couldn’t come here. But then it got here, and spread just like that.”

Both communities are dealing with deaths — and with so many restrictions around gathering, it’s making it difficult to grieve.

“Anytime we lose a member, the collective feels the loss, Henderson says. “Especially when it’s one of our beloved elders.”

“People want to be able to grieve. They want to be able to hug and cry and share stories,” Sellars says. “That’s not something we can support right now because of the outbreak.”

In the days following the spike in COVID-19 infections, both communities took decisive action to curb the spread. The Canim Lake Band instituted strict lockdowns to help protect its members.

“From the outside world looking in, it seems extreme,” Chief Henderson says. “When we fall back on Secwepemc law, this is what we do as Secwepemc people: protect our own, and our surrounding community members as well.”

Chief Sellars has been trying to communicate the importance of their mental well-being to the members of his nation. He says the outdoor rink he built has been a great outlet to reduce the stress surrounding the pandemic.

“[It’s been] getting me outside, getting my kids outside so we can alleviate a lot of that stress,” Sellars says. “I’m really feeling it — the anxiety and the pressure — those decisions are never easy. Being able to take care of yourself mentally is going to be a big part of how we get through this.”