Tribal Council orders travel restrictions

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes on March 5 temporarily restricted all nonessential work-related travel for tribal employees as a precautionary measure in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

According to Tribal Health, Council must approve any work-related travel to known hot spots, including Washington, California, Oregon, China, Iran, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Italy. This applies to all employees at entities under CSKT including SKC, corporations, SKHA and all affiliated entities under the tribal government.

As of March 9, there were no confirmed coronavirus cases in Montana. However, in Washington state, the number of deaths from COVID-19 had climbed to 23, with at least 169 cases in the state.

Tribal Health notes that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to prevent the spread of the respiratory disease.