AKWESASNE, N.Y. (WWTI) — The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe announced that its Emergency Operations Center has been formally deactivated.
According to the Tribe, the decision comes more than two years after a State of Emergency was declared for the Akwesasne community on March 16, 2020. Under TCR 2020-17, the EOC was activated and remained operational until the Tribe determined that the COVID-19 Pandemic no longer posed a significant threat to the health and safety of Akwesasne. The Tribal Council explained how they reached their decision in a press release.
“The past two years has been a difficult time for many community members however, through the leadership and guidance of the Tribe’s Emergency Operations Center tribal resources and personnel were utilized to effectively respond and help minimize the pandemic’s hardship on the community,” the Tribal Council stated.
The Tribe’s EOC utilized a Unified Command System that consisted of several tribal programs working together to effectively respond to the Pandemic. The incident response team enlisted the efforts of Health Services, Communications, Compliance, Facilities, Office of the Family Advocate, Tribal Police, and other tribal programs.
The Tribe stated that the EOC closely monitored the spread of COVID-19 and provided situational updates to community members for the development of appropriate safety measures. It entailed assembling and conducting regular testing and vaccination clinics, publicizing preventive steps and protective measures, hosting food distributions, and other safety measures and information that has contributed to an overall vaccination rate of 72.4%.
With the EOC’s deactivation, the Tribe’s Health Services will continue monitoring developments and sharing information with the Akwesasne community through public health advisories. These will include updates on reported cases and information on the vaccination and testing clinics that will continue to be held, as well as the ongoing distribution of home test kits.
In the event of any significant developments, including the emergence of a new highly transmissible strain of COVID-19, the Tribe’s EOC may be reactivated, along with any protective measures that may be deemed necessary in its response. More information can be found on the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe website.