TAHOLAH – The Quinault Indian Nation announced over the weekend that the Quinault Indian Reservation will be closed to visitors in response to an increase in COVID-19 infection among households on the reservation.

Access to the Quinault Indian Reservation will be restricted to village residents, Quinault tribal members, essential government employees and Quinault Indian Nation Enterprise personnel. The closure will not affect businesses on tribal trust lands such as the Quinault Beach Resort & Casino and Q-Mart locations.

The announcement didn’t say how many cases were involved and a contact with the nation couldn’t be reached.

The announcement said a 14-day closure would be in effect through Sept.6, and longer if necessary, as a critical response measure to limit further infection. The nation will re-evaluate 10 to 12 days into the closure and extend it if necessary.

“With recent positive tests of some members of QIN households in the first days of quarantine, we decided immediate and major steps are needed to protect the health and safety of our families and neighbors,” said Quinault Indian Nation Vice-President Tyson Johnston. “We are asking all reservation residents to stay home and travel only for essential needs such as food, medicine and medical attention. The QIN government will be shutdown to the maximum extent possible while maintaining essential services.”

The nation’s government operations will close on the reservation but continue minimum essential services necessary for the health and safety of QIN citizens and employees. Essential services will include meal delivery, medication fulfillment, limited urgent medical care, testing for COVID-19, police, fire, the minimum necessary government financial operations and certain other essential services to be identified.

“The recent spread of COVID-19 to our families and communities is a reminder that we are all in this together and we all have a responsibility to be informed and follow safety protocols. The lives of our loved ones and neighbors are on the line,” said Johnston. “Let’s all step up our efforts to avoid group gatherings of more than one household, avoid other large gatherings and practice social distancing which by most accounts is the first and best way to avoid the spread of COVID -19.”