MCA AMENDS EMERGENCY CURFEW LAW FOR ESSENTIAL TRAVEL
Please be advised that the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne amended the Akwesasne Emergency Curfew Law on August 10, 2020 in order to allow essential travel beyond the 80 km/50-mile radius limitation. Non-essential travel is still restricted in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the Akwesasne community.
The Mohawk Council Resolution amendment to the Akwesasne Emergency Curfew Law states:
“Persons travelling to the Territory from any location that is beyond a radius of 80 kilometers or 50 miles, for all non-essential purposes, who have no symptoms of COVID-19, shall self-quarantine for not less than 14 days. During the period of self-quarantine, all persons shall monitor for symptoms and shall remain at home. Persons required to self-quarantine who need assistance to do so, shall contact the MCA.”
Some of the travel purposes considered essential may be:
• Providing service that is essential to the health, safety, security, or economic well-being of the Mohawks of Akwesasne and the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne;
• Meeting health (immediate medical care), safety, and security needs;
• Attending schooling;
• Tending to a sick family member who has no one else to help them; and
• Any other activity that is deemed “non-optional” or “non-discretionary” by the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne.
MCA defines “optional” or “discretionary” travel as coming to Akwesasne for the purposes of tourism, recreation, or entertainment, among others. Some examples of travel that is considered non-essential include:
• Visiting family for a vacation
• Visiting a secondary home, even for the purposes of upkeep and maintenance
• Attending the funeral of a family member
• Leisure shopping
The health and safety of the Akwesasne community are of the utmost importance. Should you travel for essential purposes, diligence in taking precautionary measures such as mask-wearing, hand-washing, and maintaining a 2-metre (6-foot) distance from others is still necessary. Keep in mind that most local cases of COVID-19 resulted from travel outside the community.
The community curfew of 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. remains in effect. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rapidly change, Council will continue to monitor and amend the Akwesasne Emergency Curfew Law as necessary.
Thank you for doing your part to keep us all safe; we are all in this together.
More information from MCA regarding COVID-19 can be located on our website: www.akwesasne.ca.
