COVID-19 Task Force statement on Declaration of State of Emergency

04/22/2020

The Kahnawà:ke COVID-19 Task Force would like to offer a brief statement on yesterday’s Declaration of a State of Emergency in the Territory.
 
“The Declaration may assist with accessing funding to support our efforts,” stated Commissioner of Public Safety Lloyd Phillips. “Battling the pandemic is a huge and costly undertaking. We remain dedicated to make every effort to protect our community. The task Force appreciates the efforts made by the MCK to give us the necessary tools to do the job, such as the passage of yesterday’s Declaration.”
 
“We’d also like to make it clear that, once the pandemic is over, we will reassess all of our directives and declarations to ensure a smooth transition back to normal operations,” he concluded. “We thank the community for its continued support and understanding.”

From an operational perspective the work of the Task Force remains the same. As stated, the Declaration was taken to ensure the protection of Kahnawà:ke’s jurisdiction during this unprecedented pandemic. It also gives the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke the ability to make changes to various public safety laws (Kahnawà:ke Emergency Preparedness Law, Sanitary Conditions Law) if required to ensure the next phases of the pandemic are addressed.