Kawacatoose First Nation closes borders due to COVID case

The Kawacatoose First Nation is in the middle of a COVID-related lockdown.

In a media release, the chief and council of the First Nation near Raymore said they were told Sunday evening by the Saskatchewan Health Authority that there was a positive case in the community.

The First Nation implemented a 72-hour lockdown that started Monday at 4 p.m., meaning there isn’t any access into or out of the community.

The borders are to reopen Thursday at 8 a.m., for essential services and then close again that night at 10 o’clock for another 72 hours.

On Tuesday, a testing facility was set up at the Asiniw-Kisik Education Campus, the community’s K-12 school.

The release said the general store and Healing Tree will reduce their hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily until further notice. As well, only two customers at a time will be permitted inside the buildings.

Classes at the Asiniw-Kisik Education Campus were cancelled for the week.

“We as a Nation need to work together during these unprecedented times and overcome this pandemic,” the chief and council said in the release. “We all need to do our part and recognize the seriousness of this virus and the spread of it within our borders.”