%IS FOLLOWING HEALTH GUIDANCE TO
%SLOW THE SPREAD OF THE
%CORONAVIRUS CONSIDERED
%CONTROVERSIAL.
%"HERE AND NOW" REPORTER MARISA
%WOJCIK SPOKE WITH AREA TRIBAL
%NATIONS ABOUT HOW THEIR
%COMMUNITIES ARE TAKING A
%DIFFERENT APPROACH IN RESPONDING
%TO THE CONTINUED THREAT OF
%COVID-19.
%>> WE'VE BEEN KEEPING OUR EYE ON
%THIS ISSUE AS IT AROSE AND WE
%STARTED HEARINGS RUMBLINGS OF
%COVID-19, CORONAVIRUS IN THE
%EARLY PART OF THE YEAR.
%>> IN MARCH WHEN COVID-19 HIT
%WISCONSIN, RESPONSE FROM TRIBAL
%NATIONS WERE IN LOCKSTEP WITH
%THE STATE IF NOT AHEAD OF THE
%GAME.
%>> WE HAVE ALREADY CLOSED OUR
%FACILITIES, PROBABLY ABOUT THREE
%WEEKS TO THE STATE MAKING THAT
%ORDER.
%AND I THINK THAT HELPED US IN
%TERMS OF ASSURING THAT OUR
%ELDERS AND OUR RESIDENCE WITHIN
%THE NURSING HOMES STAYED SAFE.
%>> THE RESPONSE WAS SWIFT TO
%ENSURE THE VIRUS COULDN'T TAKE
%HOLD.
%>> WE TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN MAKING
%SURE OUR COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC
%SAFETY AND HEALTH IS A MAJOR
%THING TO STRIVE FOR, AND SO
%ESPECIALLY BEING OBVIOUSLY
%NATIVE AMERICAN AND OUR HEALTH
%DISPARITIES ARE WIDE AND SO ANY
%TYPE OF DISEASE THAT HAS
%POTENTIAL TO OUTBREAK AND BE A
%PANDEMIC, AS THIS HAS TURNED OUT
%TO BE, ARE POTENTIALLY
%DEVASTATING, ESPECIALLY FOR
%TRIBAL NATIONS LIKE OURS.
%LIKE I MENTIONED, WE ONLY HAVE
%ABOUT 17,000 MEMBERS AND THAT'S
%IT.
%AND SO, YOU KNOW, NOT TO SAY,
%YOU KNOW, THAT A LIFE HAS A
%HIGHER PRIORITY OR NOT, BUT WITH
%US, WE'RE SO LIMITED THAT ANY
%ACTION WE CAN TAKE TO SAVE A
%LIFE, WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO DO
%THAT.
%>> THIS IS A VERY VULNERABLE
%GROUP OF FOLKS, AND THE TRIBE,
%THE MENOMINEE PEOPLE, THE
%LEADERS ALL RECOGNIZED THAT
%IMMEDIATELY AND KNEW THAT WE HAD
%TO RESPOND QUICKLY AND AGLES
%CIVIL TO KEEP THE VIRUS FROM
%GAINING A FOOTHOLD BECAUSE IF IT
%DOES, IT WILL REAP DEVASTATION.
%>> OUR ELDERS, THOSE ARE OUR
%NATIVE LANGUAGE SPEAKERS.
%THEY -- SO WE VALUE OUR LANGUAGE
%AND THE TRANSMISSION AND, YOU
%KNOW, THE PRESERVATION OF OUR
%LANGUAGE.
%>> SOME NATIONS, LIKE THE
%MENOMINEE IND INDIAN TRIBE OF
%WISCONSIN, ENFORCED DIRECTIVES
%SUCH AS A CURFEW TO TRY TO KEEP
%PEOPLE FROM GATHERING AT NIGHT.
%>> WE WANT PEOPLE TO COOPERATE.
%>> THE DIFFERENCE FOR US IS THAT
%THIS IS OUR COMMUNITY.
%THIS IS OUR FAMILIES.
%THIS -- YOU KNOW, THE DEATH
%COULD HAVE BEEN A RELATIVE.
%>> WHEN IT CAME TO WEIGHINGED
%COST AND BENEFITS OF HEALTH AND
%THE ECONOMY, IT WASN'T EVEN A
%DEBATE.
%>> KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE, KEEPING
%PEOPLE HEALTHY, KEEPING PEOPLE
%ALIVE, THAT'S WHAT'S IMPORTANT.
%>> BUT EVEN A CLEAR DECISION HAS
%ITS CONSEQUENCES.
%>> IT WASN'T NECESSARILY HARD TO
%MAKE, BUT JUST KNOWING WHAT THAT
%ECONOMIC IMPACT WAS GOING TO BE
%OF HAVING, YOU KNOW, SOME 90%,
%95% OF OUR REVENUE COMING FROM
%GAMING AND THEN SHUTTING THOSE
%OPERATIONS DOWN, WE WERE ON PACE
%FOR REVENUE GENERATION FOR THE
%YEAR UNTIL WE SHUT DOWN IN
%MARCH.
%SO IT WENT FROM MEETING THOSE
%PROJECTIONS TO ZERO.
%>> IT WAS DEVASTATING FOR OUR
%NATION.
%>> AFTER MONTHS OF BEING SHUT
%DOWN, THE ONEIDA NATION AND MANY
%OTHER NATIONS WERE ABLE TO OPEN
%THEIR CASINOS BACK UP.
%>> SO IT'S ALL HANDS ON DECK
%HERE.
%RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE ABOUT 418
%EMPLOYEES BACK, CALLED BACK.
%SO WHEN YOU COME IN, EVERY
%MORNING YOU HAVE TO COME THROUGH
%THIS EMPLOYEE ENTRANCE AND YOU
%GO THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS AS
%THE CUSTOMER DOES.
%YOU GET YOUR TEMPERATURE
%CHECKED.
%YOU HAVE TO HAVE A MASK.
%YOU ARE ASKED ABOUT FIVE
%DIFFERENT QUESTIONS REGARDING
%YOUR HEALTH.
%>> A RECENT UPTICK SEEN BOTH IN
%STATE AND TRIBAL NUMBERS COULD
%MEAN GOING BACK ON THE
%DEFENSIVE.%>> WE'VE HAD A SMA
LL OUTBREAK ON
%THE RESERVATION THAT WAS RELATED
%TO A FAMILY GATHERING THIS WEEK.
%THE TRIBAL LEADERSHIP MOVED VERY
%QUICKLY TO RESPOND THAT.
%WE HAVE NOW REVERSED OURSELVES
%ON THE REOPENING PLAN.
%>> DESPITE THIS SETBACK, THE
%TOTAL NUMBER OF POSITIVE CASES
%FOR MENOMINEE COUNTY SITS AT 15.
%>> I THINK WE'RE STILL IN GOOD
%SHAPE.
%WE JUST WANT TO KEEP IT THAT
%WAY.
%>> OVERALL THE NUMBERS GENERALLY
%PROVE OUT.
%IN WISCONSIN, THE NUMBER OF
%POSITIVE CASES ON OR NEAREST ER
%VAITIONS IS NEARLY HALF THE RATE
%OF THE REST OF THE STATE.
%WHATEVER IT CAN BE ATTRIBUTED
%TO, TRIBAL NATIONS CONTINUE TO
%NAVIGATE BEST STEPS WITH
%AUTONOMY AND EYE ON THE DATA AND
%COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY:
%>> SOME DAYS I'M TERRIFIED.
%WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT WHILE
%WE'VE HELD THINGS OFF VERY WELL
%SO FAR, IT COULD CHANGE IN A DAY
%OR TWO AND COVID CAN CATCH LIKE
%WILDFIRE.
%>> IT'S GOING TO BE MORE ON THE
%FRONT OF THE DISCUSSION RATHER
%THAN WE'LL MAKE THIS PLAN FOR IN
%CASE THIS HAPPENS.
%NOW THAT WE'VE LIVED THROUGH IT,
%WE KNOW IT CAN HAPPEN AND WHAT
%IT LOOKS LIKE AND WHAT IT'S
%GOING TO TAKE TO MOVE FORWARD.
%>> FOR "HERE AND NOW," I'M
%MARISA WOJCIK.
%>> AFTER EARLIER CLOSING THEIR
%CASINO AND THEN REOPENING AGAIN,
%THE MENOMINEE ANNOUNCED TODAY
%THAT RESORTS WILL ONCE AGAIN
%CLOSE DOWN UNTIL AUGUST 11 DUE
%TO A