Dear Tribal Community,
All Tribal government office buildings will temporarily close to most employees for two weeks to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
Although the buildings are closed, the Tribe is not closed. As usual, government services that can be offered remotely will be available by email or telephone.
Six employees recently tested positive for COVID-19. They all work in the same building, but this in turn has affected employees housed in several other buildings. We have deep-cleaned each of these buildings. Areas that employees have been using in the old casino Event Tent will also receive a deep cleaning.
A temporary building closure will help employees limit their risk of exposure and guard against more cases turning up. We have far more ability today to work remotely than we did at the start of the pandemic, and we need to use it to help prevent the spread of the virus.
Testing resources: Puyallup Tribal Health Authority offers drive-thru testing to its patients by appointment only. Call PTHA at 253-593-0232 and a nurse will determine if testing is necessary.
Pierce County Health Department also publishes information about testing on its website: https://www.tpchd.org/healthy-people/human-coronavirus.
Tribal events: Tribal Council has asked that events be kept to a minimum to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Stay up to date on Tribal news and events that may change or include extra precautions on the Tribe’s website: www.PuyallupTribe-nsn.gov.
Safety measures in place: Our protocol when an employee tests positive is to determine the extent of exposure through use of our contact tracing measures and to assess exposure to others, the level of building closure, and schedule a deep cleaning of any potentially exposed areas. Each situation is unique, and the response is tailored to each situation with the health and safety of our employees in mind.
The Tribe has taken numerous measures to ensure the safety of our employees during the coronavirus outbreak, including encouraging teleworking for positions that allow, implementing social distancing, installing Plexiglas barriers, remodeling building entries, and conducting regular cleaning and disinfection of buildings.
You can learn more about steps you can take to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 on our website: http://puyallup-tribe.com/COVID19/covid.php
Stay well. Stay safe.
-Puyallup Tribal Administration
