FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Melvin J. Baker, Chairman – 970.563.0100

Lindsay J. Box, Communication – 970.563.2313

Amy Barry, IMT PIO – 970.563.2281

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 2021

AMENDED PUBLIC HEALTH SAFER AT HOME ORDER OF THE SOUTHERN UTE INDIAN TRIBE

 

WHEREAS, authority is vested in the Southern Ute Indian Tribal Council by the Constitution adopted by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, and approved November 4, 1936, and amended October 1, 1975, and August 27, 1991, to act for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe; and

 

WHEREAS, under Article VII, Section l(n) of the Constitution, Tribal Council has the authority, “To protect and preserve the property, wildlife and natural resources of the [T]ribe, and to regulate the conduct of trade and the use and disposition of tribal property upon the reservation.”; and

 

WHEREAS, in January 2020, the World Health Organization designated the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak as a pandemic; and

 

WHEREAS, on February 18, 2020, in Res. No. 2020-025, Tribal Council declared a state of emergency to respond to the spread of COVID-19; and

 

WHEREAS, based on the increasing incidence of COVID-19 in the region and the danger COVID-19 posed to the tribal membership, on March 25, 2020, Tribal Council issued a Stay at Home Order requiring tribal members to stay at home unless performing essential activities; and

 

WHEREAS, since March 2020, the Tribe’s Incident Management Team (“IMT”) and Tribal Council have been monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and actively managing the Tribe’s response in accordance with the Southern Ute Community Emergency Operations Plan and Southern Ute Health Center Communicable Disease Response Plan; and

 

WHEREAS, the Southern Ute Community Emergency Operations Plan identifies operational phases for the Tribe’s emergency management activities, which phases include a Response Phase and a Recovery Phase; and

 

WHEREAS, as the Tribe moved into the Recovery Phase, Tribal Council adopted a Tribe-Wide Recovery Plan, which includes a system of phases and levels of pandemic management; and

 

WHEREAS, the phases include Phase 1 “Stay-at-Home;” Phase 2 “Safer at Home” (including Levels 1, 2, and 3 of Phase 2); Phase 3 “Protect Our Neighbor;” and Phase 4 “Fully Open;” and

 

WHEREAS, on March 29, 2021, after the IMT recommended to Tribal Council that current data supported moving into a less restrictive phase than Phase 1 – Stay at Home, Tribal Council issued a Safer at Home Order, which superseded the Stay at Home Order and eased previously established restrictions; and

 

WHEREAS, Tribal Council may issue additional Public Health Orders throughout  the pandemic to implement or modify specific restrictions as circumstances warrant and new information  becomes known; and

 

WHEREAS, based on the fact that a vaccine is readily available in and around the Southern Ute Indian Reservation and the risk of COVID-19 transmission has diminished, Tribal Council finds it appropriate to amend previously established requirements.

 

NOW THEREFORE, TRIBAL COUNCIL HEREBY ORDERS:

 

1. There are three different levels of the Safer at Home Phase, and the level in effect at any given time shall be established by the IMT based on the criteria identified in the Tribe-Wide Recovery Plan, Appendix

 

2. Phase 2 – Safer at Home that was put into effect on March 29, 2021 remains in

 

3. All persons who come within the exterior boundaries of the Reservation and are within the jurisdiction of the Tribe shall comply with this Order and any other Public Health Order then in

 

4. Contractors working on the Reservation shall continue to complete a health screening before entering an indoor

 

5. Outdoor and certain indoor activities continue to be permissible, provided those activities comply with the Event Caps in effect at the time of the

 

6. Tribal entities and departments shall continue to follow their reopening

 

7. This Amended Safer at Home Order supersedes the Safer at Home Order put into effect on March 29,

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Order shall become effective at 12:01 a.m. on June 2, 2021 and will be in effect until further notice.

 

(Signed by Chairman Melvin J. Baker)

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20210616 – Amended Public Health Order Safer At Home for SUIT

20210617 – SUIT Phase II, Level 1 Metrics & Restrictions (1)

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Melvin J. Baker, Chairman – 970.563.0100

Lindsay J. Box, Communication – 970.563.2313

Amy Barry, IMT PIO – 970.563.2281

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 2021

AMENDED PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER

OF THE SOUTHERN UTE INDIAN TRIBE

 

WHEREAS, authority is vested in the Southern Ute Indian Tribal Council by the Constitution adopted by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, and approved November 4, 1936, and amended October 1, 1975, and August 27, 1991, to act for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe; and

 

WHEREAS, under Article VII, Section 1 of the Constitution, “The inherent powers of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, including those set forth in [the Indian Reorganization Act], as amended, shall be exercised by the Southern Ute Indian Tribal Council, subject only to limitations imposed by the Constitution and Statutes of the United States, by the regulations of the Department of the Interior and by this constitution.”; and

 

WHEREAS, under Article VII, Section l(e) of the Constitution, “The [T]ribal [C]ouncil may enact ordinances and codes to protect the peace, safety, property, health and general welfare of the members of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe”; and

 

WHEREAS, under Article VII, Section 1(n) of the Constitution, Tribal Council has the authority, “To protect and preserve the property, wildlife and natural resources of the [T]ribe, and to regulate the conduct of trade and the use and disposition of tribal property upon the reservation.”; and

 

WHEREAS, in Res. No. 2004-225, the Tribe approved the Southern Ute Community Emergency Operations Plan (“Plan”), the purpose of which is to identify the emergency management process and principles for managing and coordinating the overall response and recovery activities during periods of emergency/disaster resulting from a natural-or human-caused hazard; and

 

WHEREAS, Section IV(B) of the Plan identifies Emergency Management operational phases, including the Response Phase, which may include incident mitigation activities designed to limit the loss of life, personal injury, property damage, and unfavorable outcomes; and

 

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Plan, Section IV(B)(3), response activities may include ongoing public health and testing processes, immunizations, isolation, or quarantine; and

 

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Plan, Section V(F), the Tribal Council’s duties in an emergency or disaster include, among other things, signing a resolution declaring an emergency or disaster to protect life and preserve property and the environment by ensuring prevention, preparation, and response measures are in place; and

 

WHEREAS, in January 2020, the World Health Organization designated the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak as a pandemic; and

 

WHEREAS, in Res. No. 2020-025, Tribal Council declared a state of emergency to respond to the spread of COVID-19; and

 

WHEREAS, in Res. No. 2020-031, Tribal Council approved the Southern Ute Health Center Communicable Disease Response Plan, which allows for, among other things, infection control precautions, including contact, droplet, and airborne precautions; and

 

WHEREAS, on March 25, 2020, Tribal Council issued a Stay at Home Order limiting visitation to the Reservation and restricting activities to only those activities that were deemed to be essential; and

 

WHEREAS, on July 17, 2020, Tribal Council issued a Public Health Order requiring face coverings indoors at all times and outdoors when other social distancing measures were not possible; and

 

WHEREAS, on March 29, 2021, as COVID-19 cases began to level off and a coronavirus vaccine became more readily available in and around the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, Tribal Council issued a Safer at Home Order, which superseded the Stay at Home Order and eased previously established restrictions; and

 

WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) recently eased recommendations for when face coverings should be worn; and

 

WHEREAS, as the number of vaccinated people nationwide has grown and the risk of COVID-19 transmission has therefore decreased, and research shows that COVID-19 is less transmissible in well ventilated outdoor spaces when compared to indoor spaces, on June 2, 2021, Tribal Council issued an amended Public Health Order lifting the requirement for  people to wear face coverings while outdoors; and

 

WHEREAS, based upon published information by the CDC on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines available to the public, Tribal Council finds it no longer necessary to require fully vaccinated people to wear face coverings; and

 

WHEREAS, the Tribal Council finds it in the interests of public health and safety to continue to require face coverings indoors for persons who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 unless the person is alone.

 

NOW THEREFORE, TRIBAL COUNCIL HEREBY ORDERS:

 

1. All individuals over two years old who are not fully vaccinated must wear a face covering over their nose and mouth when entering or moving within any public indoor space, unless the individual is alone in the room. It is also recommended per the CDC that persons who are not fully vaccinated consider wearing a face covering when outdoors in close contact with other persons who are not fully vaccinated.

 

2. A fully vaccinated individual is a person who has received all necessary doses of a COVID-19 vaccine authorized and recommended by the CDC, and a minimum of two weeks since the final dose has passed.

 

3. Face covering means a covering made of cloth, fabric, or other soft or permeable material, without holes, that covers only the nose and mouth and surrounding areas of the lower face, and that fits snugly but comfortably against the side of the face and remains in place without the use of one’s hands. Face coverings include, but are not limited to, bandanas, medical masks, cloth masks, buffs, and gaiters. Businesses have the discretion to have more restrictive face covering protocols. Supervisors, after conferring with the Incident Management Team, may require more restrictive face covering protocols where necessary and advisable. Face coverings do not include any mask that incorporates a one-way valve (typically a raised plastic cylinder about the size of a quarter on the front or side of the mask) that is designed to facilitate easy exhaling, and such masks are not to be used to comply with this Order. Valves of that type without filters permit droplet release from the mask and can put others nearby at risk.

 

4. Public indoor space means any enclosed indoor area that is public or privately owned, managed, or operated to which individuals have access by right or by invitation, expressed or implied, and that is accessible to the public, serves as a place of employment, or is an entity providing services. Public indoor space does not mean a person’s residence, including a room in a motel or hotel.

 

5. An owner, operator, or manager of a public indoor space may require a person to disclose that person’s vaccination status upon request and to provide proof when necessary.

 

6. Owners, operators, or managers of public indoor spaces must post signs at entrance(s) instructing individuals who are not fully vaccinated of their legal obligation under this Order to wear a face covering when entering or moving within a public indoor space.

 

7. Individuals two years old and younger are exempt from the requirements of this Order. Individuals ages three years old to nine years old are exempt from the requirements of this Order if they cannot medically tolerate a face covering.

 

8. Individuals performing the following activities are exempt from the requirements of this Order while the activity is being performed:

 

1. Individuals who are hearing impaired or otherwise disabled or who are communicating with someone who is hearing impaired or otherwise disabled and where the ability to see the mouth is essential to communication;

 

1. Individuals who are seated at a food service establishment;

 

1. Individuals who are exercising alone or with others from the individual’s household when a face covering would interfere with the activity;

 

1. Individuals who are receiving a personal service where the temporary removal of the face covering is necessary to perform the service;

 

1. Individuals who enter a business or receive services and are asked to temporarily remove a face covering for identification purposes;

 

1. Individuals who are actively engaged in a public safety role such as law enforcement, firefighters, or emergency medical personnel;

 

1. Individuals who are officiating at a religious service; or

 

1. Individuals who are giving a speech for broadcast or an audience.

 

9. This order supersedes the Public Health Order regarding face coverings that was issued on June 2, 2021.

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Order shall become effective at 12:01 a.m. on June 17, 2021 and will continue until it is rescinded or superseded.

 

(Signed by Chairman Melvin J. Baker)

 

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20210617 – Amended Public Health Order of the SUIT re Face Coverings 2

20210616 – Updated Draft-Face Covering Flyer following CDC guidelines

 

 

Southern Ute Reservation Fire Conditions – VERY HIGH

Much of the Western United States in in some level of drought conditions. The Southern Ute Agency Fire Management Office would like to share that the current fire conditions on the Southern Ute Reservation are  VERY HIGH.  Effective today, June 16, 2021 at 6:00 a.m., the Southern Ute Reservation entered Stage I Fire Restrictions. To find more information on the details of the Stage I Fire Restrictions, please click on the link below:

 

Southern Ute Reservation Initiates Stage I Fire Restrictions

 

If you have questions related to fire conditions and/or what acts are prohibited in the Stage I Fire Restrictions, please contact the Southern Ute Agency Fire Management Office at 970.563.4571, Tribal Council Communication Specialist, Ms. Lindsay J. Box at 970.563.2313 or via email at lbox@southernute-nsn.gov