The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council has postponed the two-week shutdown of the Blackfeet Reservation for 24 hours to work out specifics. The shutdown was supposed to begin at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, September 27. It will now begin at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 28.
More details about the shutdown will be posted and made available to the public on Monday. You'll find those details on the Facebook pages for the Blackfeet COVID-19 Incident Command Center and the Blackfeet Nation/Blackfeet Tribal Business Council.
James McNeely, public information officer for the Blackfeet Nation, told MTN News on Sunday afternoon the reason for the postponement was so the tribal council could nail down more details about how the shutdown will work.
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McNeely said Friday the goal of the shutdown is to reduce the amount of nonessential gatherings, which have contributed to a spike in coronavirus cases over the past two weeks. As of Saturday afternoon, there were 112 confirmed coronavirus cases on the reservation and a "few hundred" residents quarantined. The virus has also spread to the Blackfeet Care Center.
Tribal council members were still deliberating on Friday on the logistics of the shutdown.
We will update you as we learn more.
