Over the past two years, COVID-19 has made our people sick, taken lives and brought other more hidden harms. Now, with COVID-19 cases skyrocketing in the Yukon, Chief Doris Bill is calling on everyone to do their part to help end this cycle of sickness.
“We have weapons in this fight. Let’s use them.”
– KDFN Chief Doris Bill
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KDFN Chief Doris Bill’s Community Message, January 5, 2022
Dänch’ea and hello, Citizens and members of our community,
Our Yukon is under siege. As of today, there are 325 reported cases of COVID-19, and many more are going unreported.
We don’t know how many are Kwanlin Dün Citizens, but there is widespread community transmission of Omicron, and that means there are too many cases to test or track.
Expect COVID to be everywhere.
The acting Chief Medical Officer of Health says more people will get sick. And, there is a risk that Yukon’s healthcare system will be overwhelmed.
On top of COVID-19, we’re also dealing with record snowfalls and extreme cold temperatures.
The Kwanlin Dün government is working at limited capacity. Many employees are home isolating or dealing with sick loved ones. We ask you to have patience as we work to keep delivering essential services through this difficult time.
The best thing we can all do right now is to look after ourselves, and look after one another. This cycle of sickness is not going to end until we all work together.
Over the past 2 years, COVID-19 has changed our lives … it’s made our people sick, and sadly, it’s taken 15 Yukoners, including 2 Kwanlin Dün Elders.
This virus has also brought other sinister, more hidden harms – it’s kept people apart, made us lonely, and caused some to turn to unsafe ways to find relief.
It’s contributed to the 21 … let me say that again because it’s so shocking… 21 opioid-related deaths in the Yukon last year.
We need to stop the damage being caused by COVID-19 … NOW.
And the good news is that we know how to do it.
• Following the Safe 6,
• wearing a mask,
• limiting your contacts,
• staying home when sick, and
• getting vaccinated – that means all the shots available to you, including the booster.
We have weapons in this fight. Let’s use them.
Stay safe and watch out for each other. Shä̀w níthän, Gùnáłchîsh and Mähsi’cho