Nisga'a Lisims Government declares State of Emergency for all four Nisga'a Villages and Nisga'a Lands

A travel prohibition into Nisga'a Lands is one of a number of
measures put in place today under a State of Emergency
for the Nisga'a Nation

The confirmation of three cases of COVID-19 in the Nass Valley have moved the Nisga'a Lisims Government to declare a State of Emergency today, outlining the steps that they have taken late Friday afternoon in response to concerns over the coronavirus.

"The presence of the virus on Nisga'a Lands creates an imminent and serious threat to the health of Nisga'a citizens and other residents of Nisga'a Lands. The Executive has determined that prompt coordination of action and special regulation of persons was necessary to protect the health and welfare of Nisga'a citizens and surrounding residents. 

The Declaration and Orders made under it set out the procedures that must be followed to prevent , respond to and alleviate the effects of the known occurrence of the COVID-19 virus on Nisga'a Lands.

The Declaration of the State of Local  Emergency will allow our government to take the actions that are required to keep residents of Nisga'a Lands safe. The orders are necessary to ensure public safety and are not optional, and are made today for the safety and well-being of our people and all British Columbians" -- Nisga'a Lisims President Eva Clayton.

Among the measures now in place is a Travel prohibition to and from Nisga'a lands except as required for an essential purpose.

Other elements of the State of Emergency require the collection of information for contact tracing and measures of self isolation, as well as to prohibit gatherings on Nisga'a Lands unless authorized by the NLG, if authorized, those gatherings cannot include more than 20 people for cultural or ceremonial purposes.

You can review the full scope of the new measures now in place here.

The decision to enact the State of Emergency comes as the Nisga'a Lisims Government looks to contain the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak that was first noticed in the days following the memorial ceremonies for the late Nisga'a leader Dr. James Gosnell

The State of Emergency will remain in effect for the next seven days, however it could be extended or rescinded as deemed necessary by the Nisga'a Lisims Government

Updates on the COVID-19 situation in the Nass Valley can be found through the Nisga'a Lisims government website and Facebook page.

Further items of interest from the Nass Valley and Urban Nisga'a themes can be reviewed from our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.