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Chairman Announcements
Community COVID-19 Mitigation/ Council Meetings
Council sessions now available on ZOOM
Click here on how to join Tribal Council Session Zoom Meetings
Aaniin/Boozhoo,
The health, safety, and well-being of our Tribal membership, employees, and community is a top priority of Tribal Council. This priority remains at the forefront of our decisions and after careful consideration, the decision was made to conduct the Tribal Council meetings with only Tribal Council, Legal, TMO, and Tribal Council Support Staff present, effective immediately and until further notice. Tribal Council Regular Session (TCRS) and Tribal Council Special Session (TCSS) will continue the regularly scheduled dates/times with posted video of recorded sessions available ASAP under member login access on the GTB webpage http://gtbindians.org/member_login.asp
This decision is in alignment with GTB community mitigation strategies as precautionary measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 as much as possible. We have been actively preparing for a potential impact of COVID-19 in our Tribal entities and have taken necessary preventative measures across the board, including but not limited to work-related travel bans, specific training, enhanced maintenance/cleaning of all entities, identifying back-up plans, video meetings, and canceling gatherings to ensure we are active in slowing the spread of any illnesses. Please see attached memo from Grand Traverse Resort and Casinos CEO, Michael Schrader, for additional information relating to EDC properties. For specific or further information from the EDC please contact Denise Barrientoz at 231.534.8401 and/or denise.barrientoz@gtbindians.com.
As we all have heard the latest by now, Governor Whitmer gave the order to close all K-12 public schools in Michigan to slow the spread of Coronavirus. We understand this has a huge impact on our students and families on multiple levels including childcare, employment, grocery bills, and much more. Please know GTB is actively working on plans to help as much as we can, and more information will be announced soon on what assistance is available. Specific Michigan Coronavirus updates are regularly posted at https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus. On this site, you may also enter your email address to subscribe for news updates.
We encourage everyone to utilize the GTB resources available to keep lines of communication open during this time. Please feel free to reach out with any questions/feedback/concerns to Members Speak via email at Members.Speak@gtbindians.com to communicate with Tribal leadership directly. Your specific healthcare questions can be directed to the GTB Medicine Lodge at 231.534.7200 and written questions can be submitted directly to healthcare staff on the GTB webpage under the public information http://gtbindians.org/pubinfo.asp. Please know all health related questions will be answered by healthcare professionals that use the most credible sources available (CDC, DHHS, MDHHS) to provide the most knowledgeable answers to you. Please be mindful of these simple strategies to reduce the spread of illness:
Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and wash hands after disposing of tissue or if no tissue available, sneeze or cough into your sleeve instead of your hands
Please stay home when ill & notify physician of symptoms
Again, our intention is not to contribute to panic but rather to support efforts to minimize exposure and enhance everyday preventative measures to slow the spread of illnesses. Protecting the health and safety of Tribal members, employees, and the community at large is of utmost importance to us.
This is a rapidly evolving situation, and we will do our best to keep you informed as best as we can. We encourage everyone to sign up for Nixle (mass notification system) by registering on the GTB Tribal member home page here http://gtbindians.org/member_login.asp to receive the latest updates. If you are an employee and wish to sign up for Nixle, please contact Jared Sonderegger, Communications Department Manager at Jared.Sonderegger@gtbindians.com .
Chi Miigwetch to everyone as we navigate through this journey together utilizing our strengths to form creative strategies as a TEAM.
Thurlow "Sam" McClellan