Pukatawagan COVID-19 cases climb, community now has 69 active cases: provincial data

COVID-19 cases in Pukatawagan continue to climb. A total of 29 new cases were reported in the Pukatawagan/Mathias Colomb health district Tuesday, more new cases than any other Manitoba community including Winnipeg.

The Pukatawagan district, not even two weeks after it was reported to have zero cases of COVID-19, now has 69 confirmed active cases. The district now has the third-highest number of active cases of all northern Manitoba districts.

The situation on the ground in Pukatawagan may be worse than the provincial data shows. In an online press conference held by Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) March 9, Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (MCCN) Chief Lorna Bighetty said the community now has 101 confirmed and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19.

"We're trying really hard to control the virus that we have in our community," said Bighetty.

"It's pretty hard to have the majority of people to understand how important it is to self-isolate and stay home, to stay home at all times and wear a mask if you're out and about."

Bighetty has requested assistance from the Canadian Armed Forces, similar to what the CAF has done in communities like Shamattawa and Cross Lake.

"When I first heard about the 10 that were positive, I asked for help right away. I knew we weren't going to maintain the health and safety or our community," Bighetty said.

The chief also said that the outbreak has been excasperated by people in the community not talking the disease seriously enough.

"That's the problem we're having in our community - people don't seem to understand the seriousness of the COVID-19 that is ramping up now. In December, we had only [five] cases and now... last week, we only had 10 and every day it's adding up," said the chief, who added she had seen people in Pukatawagan outdoors drinking or socializing last week. 

In response to rising case counts, MCCN has locked down as of March 5. No public gatherings of any size are permitted and all non-essential businesses in the community must be closed. Residents are required to stay home and only leave to seek medical care or testing, to leave and work an essential services job or to get food or supplies. A provincial health order has been put in place for the community, produced by both local officials and provincial health workers. The stay-at-home order does not apply to RCMP members and band constables, medical workers, essential and emergency workers and band council members.

Designated shopping hours have been put in place at the Pukatawagan Northern Store, along with strict COVID-19 protocols. Masks must be worn outside the home, including outside. Non-essential travel to and from Pukatawagan has been blocked by the health orders.

Similar health orders have been in place for Cross Lake and Pimicikamak Cree Nation since Feb. 13. Cross Lake is now home to one of the north’s highest active case counts, with 207 people listed by provincial government data as having active COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, but the number is now declining. Cross Lake's case load has stabilized after a big jump in mid-to-late February, with four new cases reported in the region Monday and three found Tuesday - far below earlier this year, when the region saw dozens of new cases a day at the outbreak’s peak.

Other northern areas have seen lesser case increases, with others stabilizing or seeing decreases. Four new cases of COVID-19 were announced in the Gillam/Fox Lake district, but all four cases were marked as recoveries - the cases had not been previously shown as active cases in provincial data and only one case is listed as "active" in the area.

No new cases were reported in the Flin Flon/Snow Lake/Cranberry Portage/Sherridon district Tuesday. The district has six active COVID-19 cases, each announced in the past four days.

Three cases each were reported in the Cross Lake and Thompson/Mystery Lake districts, but both districts reported reductions in active cases as the number of people recovering outnumbered the number of people newly infected. Cross Lake's case numbers dropped from 214 to 207 as another 10 people recovered, while Thompson dropped from 30 to 24 cases Tuesday as nine other people recovered.