Bois Forte Band announces first brush with the coronavirus

The people of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa had endured the coronavirus pandemic with no cases and isolated in the deep forests of northeast Minnesota.

The tribal nation initially restricted traveling on-and-off the reservation and required government staff to wear masks to protect their indigenous community members who suffer underlying health conditions at higher rates per capita than white neighbors who reside in the surrounding St. Louis, Itasca and Koochiching counties.

Tribal leaders cautioned enrolled members that the coronavirus was nearing the boundaries of the reservation and asked them to continue practicing social distancing while the band reopened the Fortune Bay Casino Resort and outdoor amenities bound to draw in outsiders to the nearby lakes.

https://www.virginiamn.com/free_press/bois-forte-band-announces-first-brush-with-the-coronavirus/article_f5154e5c-b1a7-11ea-b5e7-5f07f3ac8980.html