A Message from Puyallup Tribal Council
Tribal Council continues to monitor the outbreak of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and is in contact with Tribal, local and state health authorities to help us take appropriate actions. We and our staff will keep our membership, employees and customers as up-to-date as possible.
One of the best steps you can take right now is to help prevent the spread of illness through proper hand washing, staying home when you’re sick and practicing “social distancing.” We encourage you to educate yourself about coronavirus through public health authorities and to take the precautions they recommend.
Social Distancing
Following Gov. Inslee’s announcement on March 11 of new restrictions on large public gatherings, the Emerald Queen Casino, a Tribal Entity, put into place new measures such as postponing concerts, encouraging social distancing among customers and watching for customers who appear to be ill. This is in addition to additional cleaning and other steps that have already been implemented.
In Early March, Tribal Administration postponed or cancelled all social and cultural gatherings, including Elders luncheons, prayer circles and cultural classes through March 31. Government also canceled travel for employees.
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.
Our Elders
The House of Respect Residence has placed restrictions on who can visit Elders. Until April 2, there will be no visitors entering the community. If you have a question, please feel free to contact Russ Hanscom, RN, MHA at 253-302-9523.
Our dedicated staff have been strongly encouraging Elders in the Residence to remain at home. This self-quarantine is completely voluntary and meant to protect our Elders’ safety. If an Elder does decide to leave the community, appropriate screening will be conducted upon their return.
Additionally, all Elders Care employees are being screened at the beginning of each shift for body temperature to rule out fever and respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath, new or changes in cough, or sore throat. Additional environmental cleaning also is taking place.
The House of Respect community lunch program will continue by providing take-out sack lunches until April 2.
Our Employees
Tribal Administration is taking extra precautions to ensure the health and safety of our employees. Meetings of more than 10 people are discouraged, employees who are sick are told to stay home, and other sensible measures to ensure safety are being encouraged. Any employees with questions is advised to contact the director/manager, Human Resources or Administration.
Help prevent the spread of illness
Health officials are urging people to take extra precautions to help stop the spread of coronavirus. Here are some tips from the Puyallup Tribal Health Authority:
- It is important to continue to wash hands with soap and hot water for 20 seconds; use hand sanitizer and sanitize your work areas often; use proper cough/sneeze protocols by coughing or sneezing into a tissue, or if a tissue isn’t available, cough or sneeze into the crook of your arm;
- Don’t shake hands or fist bump; use an elbow bump, or greet with a smile or a nod;
- Practice social distancing – try to keep at least a 6-foot distance between yourself and others. Also, stay away from large events such as sports, concerts, even movie theaters;
- Stay home if you are sick and call your supervisor to them know;
- If you are sick, don’t go to the doctor’s office, clinic or emergency room without calling first.
- Don’t meet in a group; consider holding meetings by conference call.
Health and safety information
Get your information from reliable sources:
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
Resources
- Puyallup Tribal Health Authority
- Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department
- What is coronavirus? Coronavirus is a group of viruses that includes the common cold. If you’ve ever had a runny nose, cough or sore throat, you've likely had a form of coronavirus.
Coronaviruses can cause mild illness, like a cold, or severe illness, like pneumonia. Most people with COVID-19 have mild symptoms. - FAQs
- What is coronavirus? Coronavirus is a group of viruses that includes the common cold. If you’ve ever had a runny nose, cough or sore throat, you've likely had a form of coronavirus.
- Washington State Department of Health
