Walpole Island First Nation Council is officially restricting non-resident travel over the Walpole Island bridge.
Travel will be restricted to essential traffic only.
Individuals crossing onto Walpole to access essential services must go directly to the service and leave immediately with no additional stops or visits.
Traffic from 7PM to 6AM will be restricted to residents of Walpole Island First Nation and Emergency Services only.
To enforce these restrictions, a 24-hour checkpoint will be established, effective immediately.
“Our hearts and thoughts go out to our neighbouring communities who have begun to see cases or are seeing an increase in cases of COVID-19,” says Chief Miskokomon. “We are taking the action of limiting access to non-residents in order to further protect our members from the spread. Given the high prevalence of underlying health conditions, our community is especially vulnerable to this virus.”
Residents of Walpole Island will not be impeded from crossing the bridge and non-residents may still cross to access essential businesses and services after 6AM and before 7PM.
Those without a valid reason for crossing onto Walpole Island at any hour will be turned away.
The Walpole Island Emergency Control Group is also urging cottagers to stay away from Walpole Island until further notice.
