MHA Tribal COVID update
The MHA-Nation has been planning and preparing proactively to fight the virus since February. Chairman Mark N. Fox says three tribal members who contracted coronavirus off the reservation also died off the reservation. Two of the three were brought back to be buried. No tribal members have died on the reservation.
Fox says the tribe is following the lead of the State of North Dakota but will likely differ from the state going forward to maintain a balance between opening business activity and assuring safety for people. He observes there is now some “opening up” occurring but it’s still necessary to remain vigilant and strive for the goal to have MHA citizens “suffer less” from the pandemic than the mainstream population. He calls his approach “incremental re-opening.”
In addition to doing its own testing, the MHA COVID-19 Task Force has provisioned a Supply Distribution Center and developed emergency bed capacity in local care centers.
The tribal workforce is now back to about 70-percent strength; the goal is to attain 80-percent in the next several weeks. Now that the tribe’s Four Bears Casino has reopened on a limited basis, it’s important to be sure the staff remains healthy and there’s no risk to patrons.
