State of Emergency set to expire on June 21st

06/14/2021

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke is pleased to announce that it has passed a Mohawk Council Executive Directive (‘MCED’) at today’s duly-convened Council meeting that will see the conclusion of the State of Emergency that has been effect in the community since April 21, 2020.

The MCED (‘the Declaration of Recovery Phase of the Pandemic’) was passed by consensus this morning after the Kahnawà:ke COVID-19 Task Force (‘Task Force’) determined that the situation had progressed to the point where it was comfortable to make the change. There is now a clear path to the return to normalcy.

In accordance with the Kahnawà:ke Emergency Preparedness Law (‘the Law’), after a State of Emergency ends there is an automatic move into a Recovery Phase, which could be up to a period of 120 days and subject to extension should it be deemed necessary. This Declaration will mark a major changing point in the pandemic, and will help provide a seamless transition into the recovery phase with clear lines of authority and responsibility.

With the conclusion of the State of Emergency on Monday, June 21st, the Mandate of the Task Force will also expire. The authorities granted by the Law will establish the Mandate to be carried out by the Commissioner of Public Safety, in order to maintain consistency and direction. The KMHC Public Health team and the Public Safety Commission will continue to monitor the situation, and modify directives and measures accordingly.

The MCK wishes to thank the Task Force and all front line workers for the countless hours and hard work in the difficult battle to keep the community safe. We have been fortunate to have had no loss of life due to COVID-19 during the pandemic despite the fact that Quebec and, especially, Montreal were particularly hard hit by the virus. Kahnawa’kehró:non should be commended for our collective efforts to keep our elders and vulnerable population safe.

Please be reminded that the virus still exists, so we must remain vigilant in our efforts to keep it at bay.