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 SMALL 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