The Leech Lake Tribal Council has extended the reservation’s stay at home order until June 1.
According to Leech Lake News, during the tribal council meeting this week, council members cited concern of the rapid increase of confirmed COVID-19 cases in nearby Itasca County as a primary reason for extending the order.
“The success of the mitigation efforts to date appear to have slowed the spread of COVID-19 as intended and there have not been significant infection clusters in or near the reservation; however, a recent increase in confirmed cases in Itasca County is evidence that there is still an imminent threat to the health and safety of the Leech Lake Reservation community posed by the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
While the State of Minnesota has decided that the risk of an increasing number of infections is outweighed by other concerns, the Leech Lake Reservation Business Committee must decide if a similar risk is appropriate for the unique circumstances of our rural community and the increased risk to many Leech Lake members.”
