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PENOBSCOT NATION
PROCEDURES DURING SHUT-DOWN

Updated 06/01/2020

Tribal Caucus Meeting on June 30, 2020

The Penobscot Nation’s highest priority is the health and well-being of our community. Therefore, in order to reduce the chances of transmission of the COVID-19 virus, the 2020 Tribal Caucus will not be conducted in person, but will be done remotely through a Zoom meeting.

The Tribal Caucus will take nominations for the following elected positions in this order:
• 6 Tribal Council Seats
• 3 Land Committee Seats
• 3 Census Committee Seats
• 2 School Committee Seats

If you are interested in being a candidate for any of these positions, you will need to do one of the following:
• Go the Penobscot Nation website (Penobscotnation.org) and fill out the nomination form on the homepage; or
• E-mail the Tribal Clerk at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., include your full name, phone number, and indicate which elected position you want to run for; or
• Call the Tribal Clerk’s office at 817-7351 and leave a message, include your full name, phone number, and indicate which elected position you want to run for.

PDF LINK

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event
June 20th 8 am til Noon

Medical Supply Drive Thru

The Health Department will be hosting a medical supply drive thru:
Tuesday, June 2 thru Friday, June 5
10 am 2 pm

Parking Lot across from the Health Departmen t

Distribution will include surgical masks, hand sanitizer, and community care kits. For the safety of our staff, please do not exit your vehicle.

Important Information About Your Cloth Face Coverings

Penobscot Indian Nation
Senior·Housing Aplication
Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Property

Click on depatment to see more info

Penobscot Nation Health Center

Tribal Clerks

Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

Education & Career Services Department

Housing Department

Social Services

COURT

Department of Trust Responsibilities

TRIBAL STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARATION

The Penobscot Tribal Administration has been made aware of several cases of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in the state of Maine.

At this time, we have determined that this outbreak presents a clear hazard to the health and well-being of our people.

We, the Penobscot Nation Chief and Tribal Council, the duly elected representatives of our sovereign nation, do hereby declare a Public Health Emergency in our community.

With this proclamation, we activate all previously established emergency management and infectious disease containment plans. All of the resources at our disposal will be made available to minimize the impact of this threat and to restore the operations of our government to normal function as quickly as possible.

We direct our employees, representatives, and volunteers to exercise the utmost diligence in execution of their duties. We call upon all Tribal Citizens to comply with any necessary emergency measures and to cooperate with Public Health Officials in order to safeguard the health of our people.

Our thoughts and well wishes are with all the sick and we hope for their quick recovery. During this difficult time, we must pull together and strive for the safety and well-being of all.

Kirk E. Francis, Chief (and on behalf of the Tribal Council)

Penobscot Indian Nation

03.16.2020

NOTICE FROM USET Leadership:

“In response to COVID-19, both USET and USET SPF are working diligently to do all we can in support of members, our org partners, and Indian country overall. Additionally, we are taking the necessary USET/USET SPF internal org specific steps and actions. As you have likely seen already, the majority of our information and communication is being centralized via this site:

https://www.usetinc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-Disease-LB.pdf

SMS Alert

CHIEF'S MESSAGE updated 5/14/20

kirk

Dear Tribal Citizen,

I hope this letter finds you and your family well. In our most recent update, we identified May 15^th as a possible date to begin to lift community and workplace restrictions. After consulting with our Health Department staff as well as our State and Federal partners, it is clearly still not safe to relax any of the safety guidelines we have been following. Therefore, we are extending the Nation’s community and workplace restrictions until June 8^th.

We base this decision on the current health situation in Maine and our area in particular. The number of confirmed cases in the state continues to rise and Penobscot County is one of four counties with stricter guidelines in an attempt to stop community spread of the virus.

To recap the Nation’s community and workplace restrictions:

Only public health and public safety personnel will be allowed in the administrative buildings
All visitation by non-community members is prohibited with the exception of any essential delivery of food, fuel, or medical related items. Any non-community members conducting private business on the Reservation must call the Penobscot Nation Police Department at 817-7358 for prior approval
Community and other large gatherings are prohibited
Continue to shelter in place, which means stay in your home as much as possible, do not visit each other’s homes, and stay 6 feet away from others when outside
Continue to practice good habits: wash your hands, clean and disinfect surfaces regularly
Wear a mask to be able to enter any tribal facility - this is a new mandate that will help protect you and our healthcare and other workers whom we depend upon to provide essential services. Health Department staff are in the process of establishing a drive-thru service for masks and other personal care items. If you need a mask, please call them at 817-7400.

Many of these behaviors will become part of our everyday lives even when it is safe to lift restrictions. Wearing masks will be part of the new normal, at least until effective vaccines and treatments are readily available.

I am happy to report that the Nation has received significant resources to support our response to the pandemic, our cupboards and shelves are well stocked and will remain so. This funding also helps us to ensure we have proper safety precautions in place as we lift the community and workplace restrictions.

I appreciate your patience and understanding with all these efforts to protect our community and our tribe. We all want a return to normalcy and the warm weather will make it more difficult for us to continue to follow these safety guidelines, but we must remain diligent and tenacious. I am very proud of our Nation staff, leaders, and community members for creating and following these policies to ensure the health and welfare of our people.

On behalf of the Tribal leadership and staff, I send you positive thoughts and best wishes during this challenging time.

In Brotherhood,

Kirk E. Francis, Chief

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