NIOBRARA, Neb. -- The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska has declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This declaration was made with the most up-to-date information available to us. It's a result of many hours of deliberations on behalf of our Tribal Council and our team that has been at the forefront in response and planning for the protection of our people. It's also done due to the shortfall in funding of (the Indian Health Service), and the impact that funding shortfall has on tribal nations, specifically the Ponca Tribe," Tribal Chairman Larry Wright Jr. said in a statement. "We want to make sure our tribal citizens and employees have all the resources that will be needed to help fight this disease and the unknown that is associated with it."
According to the statement, this announcement comes one year to the day that the tribe declared a state of emergency due to widespread flooding that affected Ponca Tribal homelands and their service delivery areas.
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The statement said the Ponca Tribal Council and staff have been monitoring the situation surrounding the spread of COVID-19 for several weeks and are assessing how best to protect tribal citizens, tribal businesses, those who utilize tribal services, and Ponca Tribe of Nebraska staff, while continuing to serve the people.
On Monday, the tribe instituted a travel ban for all employees and tribal officials. It also canceled or postponed all scheduled community events and trainings until May 1. At that time, the tribe will reevaluate the situation.
With this declaration, the tribe has instituted a COVID-19 response team to manage the public health aspects of this incident. They have also activated their emergency management plan, requesting cooperation and assistance from state and federal agencies.
Following that declaration, the tribe announced a tribal-wide travel ban Monday for all employees and tribal officials, banning all outside travel and limiting any non-essential travel between tribal office locations throughout the state. Additionally, all tribal-sponsored community programs, trainings and events are postponed or canceled until May 1.
The statement said that Ponca Tribal officials will continue to monitor this rapidly evolving situation, working and making changes as necessary to mitigate any potential harm to the tribal community, especially to elders and other vulnerable populations.
The Prairie Flower Casino, which is located on tribal land in Carter Lake, Iowa, voluntarily closed its doors Tuesday. The casino will be closed until 11:59 p.m. on March 31, with casino management assessing the situation on an ongoing basis.