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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/nisichawayasihk-cree-nation-lockdown-shopping-1.6323651
First Nation mothers defy community restrictions by leaving for essentials
Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation has been under lockdown since Dec. 23
Lenard Monkman · CBC News · Posted: Jan 22, 2022 12:34 PM ET | Last Updated: 3 hours ago
A northern First Nation in Manitoba is facing criticism for its lockdown measures after a group of mothers left to buy groceries on Thursday and an attempt was made to prevent them from returning to the community.
"You think you would be able to go out and just provide for your family, and they're making it seem like it's a crime to do so," said Caitlin Francois, a mother of six.
On Thursday, Francois and a group of other mothers from Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN), about 670 kilometres north of Winnipeg, made plans to travel to nearby Thompson, Man., to get things like diapers, groceries and other essentials.
The shopping trip was a violation of NCN's current lockdown restrictions, which have been in place since Dec. 23. They bar people from leaving their homes and the community, in an effort to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
"We can't leave our houses or go out to buy groceries ourselves," Francois said.
"So me and a few moms, we were getting worried because our kids are hungry and we haven't been able to shop personally for my own household since Dec. 15. So I made that decision to just disobey the rules, get out of the house and go shopping in Thompson."
Under the current restrictions, the community's grocery store and gas station are closed to the public. The First Nation has assigned seven designated shoppers to make grocery store runs for the roughly 2,300 community members.
"They designated one to two shoppers for a whole area, and the amount of houses in each area is a lot," Francois said.
The community has also been distributing food hampers to help people through the latest restrictions, but she said the hampers don't have enough food to last families, especially for those in larger households...
First Nation mothers defy community restrictions by leaving for essentials
Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation has been under lockdown since Dec. 23
Lenard Monkman · CBC News · Posted: Jan 22, 2022 12:34 PM ET | Last Updated: 3 hours ago
A northern First Nation in Manitoba is facing criticism for its lockdown measures after a group of mothers left to buy groceries on Thursday and an attempt was made to prevent them from returning to the community.
"You think you would be able to go out and just provide for your family, and they're making it seem like it's a crime to do so," said Caitlin Francois, a mother of six.
On Thursday, Francois and a group of other mothers from Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN), about 670 kilometres north of Winnipeg, made plans to travel to nearby Thompson, Man., to get things like diapers, groceries and other essentials.
The shopping trip was a violation of NCN's current lockdown restrictions, which have been in place since Dec. 23. They bar people from leaving their homes and the community, in an effort to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
"We can't leave our houses or go out to buy groceries ourselves," Francois said.
"So me and a few moms, we were getting worried because our kids are hungry and we haven't been able to shop personally for my own household since Dec. 15. So I made that decision to just disobey the rules, get out of the house and go shopping in Thompson."
Under the current restrictions, the community's grocery store and gas station are closed to the public. The First Nation has assigned seven designated shoppers to make grocery store runs for the roughly 2,300 community members.
"They designated one to two shoppers for a whole area, and the amount of houses in each area is a lot," Francois said.
The community has also been distributing food hampers to help people through the latest restrictions, but she said the hampers don't have enough food to last families, especially for those in larger households...