The attached audio is from SDPB's daily public-affairs show, In the Moment.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe is still taking precautions against COVID-19. Many of the early mitigation measures put in place at the start of the pandemic are still in effect, including a mask mandate and roadblocks to monitor and control who enters the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Alicia Mousseau is vice president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
“We're trying to protect our communities, we're trying to protect each other. And it takes a team, it takes a nation, right, we all have to do it together," she said. "And I think that's one way our nation can be a model for the United States and for other governments, because we really put our people at the heart of our response, and us getting through this together.”
Mousseau said they continue to encourage everyone on the reservation to get vaccinated. There is a vaccine mandate in place for all tribal government employees, and Mousseau said the next step is ensuring safety in school.
“Our arsenal against this pandemic is starting to do more testing in the schools, so that we can keep our students and families and communities and our nation safe," she said. "And we can be ahead of this."
The tribe reports 69 of its members have died of COVID-19 during the pandemic.
