Visitors aren’t welcome during COVID to northwest B.C.’s Tahltan Nation

DEASE LAKE, B.C. – The Tahltan Nation has issued a notice that the public should avoid its territory in northwest British Columbia until the there's a vaccine or community immunity for COVID-19.

The Tahltan says in a statement that the consequences of spreading COVID-19 are too great, given the limited access to acute medical care for residents.

The nation's territory spans almost 96,000 square kilometres of land or about 11 per cent of the province.

The statement says all non-essential travel to Dease Lake, Iskut and Telegraph Creek should be avoided and all recreational activity access points will be blocked with gates and monitored.

The nation says the RCMP is co-operating and is working with the province to get additional police and conservation officer support.

It says Indigenous communities in the Tahltan Territory are particularly vulnerable to a COVID-19 outbreak due to their highly social culture and limited access to timely testing and medical services.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2020.