WINNIPEG -- The Canadian military is on the ground in another Manitoba First Nation dealing with a COVID-19 spike.
Mathias Colomb Cree Nation Chief Lorna Bighetty said on Tuesday that a team from the Canadian Armed Forces is in the community to help deal with rising COVID-19 cases. She said more members of the military, along with the Red Cross, are on the way to help.
Bighetty said her community, which is located about 210 kilometres north of The Pas, has 101 active cases as of Tuesday, and nearly all the First Nation's councillors are in self-isolation.
She said last week, the community only had 10 cases.
"We were doing really good at the beginning. For one whole year, we did really good," Bighetty said during a virtual news conference with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc.
"The community people were very concerned until the first needle came to our community, and that is when everybody was relaxing."
Bighetty said things quickly got out of control after the vaccine arrived as many people were no longer following the COVID-19 precautions.
"They don't seem to understand the seriousness of this COVID that is ramping right now.”
She said she requested military assistance right away, and a team of four members of the Canadian Armed Forces arrived in the community.
Bighetty said most likely, the teams will help at the nursing station.
