KWSO News for Mon., Nov. 23, 2020

There were 38 new cases of COVID-19 in Warm Springs last week.  Currently there are 55 known active cases and 80 close contacts being monitored by Public Health on the Reservation.

New confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 have reached a record high for the third straight day in Oregon. The Oregon Health Authority reported 1,517 new infections Sunday, bringing the state total to 65,170.   820 people have died. The director of the state health department urged residents to cancel indoor Thanksgiving plans and those that involve large groups of family and friends.

Large numbers of Oregonians are trying to get tested for COVID-19 with Thanksgiving only days away. OPB’s Erin Ross reports that Oregon doctors do not recommend you get a COVID-19 test before you travel for Thanksgiving as testing lines are getting longer ahead of the holiday.  Dr. Matt Snodgrass, medical director of the virtual clinic that Providence hospitals use to triage COVID-19 patients, said they’ve had to turn away patients that don’t strictly meet the Oregon Health Authority’s requirements to get a test, to sort of–   “turn that lever off and say, ‘listen, if you’re calling right now and requesting testing and you don’t have symptoms, we don’t have enough resources– We need to focus our energies on people who are sick, we don’t have enough resources.”  If you don’t have COVID-19 symptoms, there’s a good chance you’ll get a negative test result, whether or not you’re infected. It’s a better idea to quarantine. But doctors say the only way to have a truly safe Thanksgiving is to stay home.

Warm Springs Tribal Council passed resolution 12,741, a COVID-19 emergency education assistance program which will provide emergency education related assistance to Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Tribal Members that have been directly impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency,   This is for expenses related to acquiring computers and similar digital devices, incurring additional transportation cost and/or expanding broadband capacity.  Funding levels are determined by age:

• Pre-K (ages 3 & 4) – $100
• Grades K-5 – $150
• Grades 6-9 – $200
• Grades 9-12 – $250
• Higher Education (Full or Part-time)/Vocational – $500

You can get the application ONLINE.  The deadline is December 16th or when funds are depleted so the sooner you a apply – the better your chances for success.  This program is in partnership with the Warm Springs Education Committee.  You can drop applications off at the Tribal Administration building or return your application via email to ARDIS CLARK

More U.S. schools are rethinking traditional Thanksgiving lessons that focus on the English settlers but teach little about Native Americans. They are updating lessons to include more about the Wampanoag people, the Native Americans who attended the 1621 feast. In Arlington schools near Boston, students are getting new lessons this year meant to debunk common myths around the holiday. Advocates for native education applaud the recent wave of action but they also warn that there’s much to improve. They say that progress has been slow and spotty and that many schools still teach outdated and insensitive lessons.