Minnesota Tribes Continue to Cautiously Prepare for COVID-19

MOORHEAD (AP) — Six months since Minnesota registered its first case of COVID-19, the serious effects of the virus are still hitting Indigenous residents hard despite their successful efforts to slow down the spread.

Since tribal health care has long been underfunded and high rates of chronic health conditions have put American Indians at high risk of severe complications from COVID-19, tribal nations continue to look cautiously ahead to what health officials warn will be a difficult fall and winter.

Most tribes in Minnesota responded aggressively, closing casinos, launching communication campaigns, urging social distancing and requiring the use of masks.