Tribal Council and Tribal Administration continue to monitor the coronavirus outbreak and are taking steps to protect our Tribal community. Although Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department still reports no cases of COVID-19 in Pierce County as of March 5, all community events organized by Tribal Administration, such as elders luncheons, prayer breakfasts and cultural classes, have been canceled through the end of the month
The decision does not apply to Tribal entities, such as the Tribe’s enterprise operations, and was taken in consultation with public health expertise out of recognition that many vulnerable people such as elders often participate in cultural gatherings. After-school events will continue as normal, though Chief Leschi Schools has postponed some events. If you have questions about a specific event, please contact the department that organized it or the appropriate entity. For event details, please refer to the website calendar.
All Tribal entities are taking common-sense precautions like frequent cleaning of public areas and adding hand sanitizers to public places, and encouraging conference calls in place of large meetings.
Get accurate, trustworthy information
The Puyallup Tribe looks to public health authorities to guide its decisions. You can get more information direct from the source:
Puyallup Tribal Health Authority has updates: https://www.eptha.com/covid-19/
The Washington State Department of Health has set up a call center to answer questions and assembled resources on this website: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has additional resources: https://www.tpchd.org/healthy-people/human-coronavirus
The federal Centers for Disease Control has prevention tips and more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
What can you do to protect yourself?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends simple, everyday steps to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including coronavirus. These include:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If you don’t have soap and water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Stay home if you are sick.
- Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces with a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Disinfect objects and surfaces.
