MCK gravely concerned with amount of new positive cases in the community

01/03/2021

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) wishes to advise the community that it is gravely concerned with the upward trend of new positive COVID-19 cases in the community and the actions of a small number of persons who have made personal attacks on certain members of the Kahnawà:ke COVID-19 Task Force.

While our community faired relatively well through the first wave of the pandemic, this is not the case amid the second wave. Kahnawà:ke is currently dealing with twelve (12) new positive cases, and many contacts in isolation. An outbreak was also recently reported at the Turtle Bay Elders Lodge, and its residents are currently in isolation.

"Making personal attacks is not going to help the situation. Now is the time to focus on keeping this horrible virus away from our elders and most vulnerable by doing what has to be done," said Ratsénhaienhs Frankie McComber. "It′s not the Task Force, it′s not the tobacco industry or businesspeople, and it′s not MCK that we are fighting - it′s the virus that we all need to fight together."

"We are calling on all leaders in our community to speak up to help the Task Force help us contain the spread of this virus," he continued. “We must all act in the best interest of the collective and, most importantly, always act respectfully. We cannot let this virus divide and conquer our community.

The MCK fully supports the Task Force, and while it is not often said, its members consist of all the major services in the community and the Longhouses. These fine people have been working tirelessly to keep our community safe while enduring the same separation from loved ones, family losses, and following the same directives to fight the virus which has killed nearly 16,000 people in Canada to date.

"I′m willing to talk to anyone who has questions about many of the issues going on in our community," said McComber. "These are political issues, not Task Force issues. Call me, 438-830-5049."