Tribal response to coronavirus affecting scheduled April events

By Dean Rhodes

Smoke Signals editor

As the national, state and Tribal response to the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to evolve and remain extremely fluid, Grand Ronde happenings in April are being affected.

The scheduled Agency Creek Round Dance, set for Friday and Saturday, April 3-4, in the Tribal gym has been postponed to a later date.

The Sunday, April 5, General Council meeting scheduled for the Lane Community College longhouse in Eugene has been canceled.

Tribal Council Vice Chair Chris Mercier pointed out during the Wednesday, March 18, Tribal Council meeting that a General Council meeting, with its requirement of 30 attendees, would violate the suggested maximum crowd size of no more than 25 people.

In addition, Lane Community College has closed in response to the pandemic and it is unlikely any hotels in the Eugene area would be able to host the meeting anyway, he said.

The annual Tribal Housing Easter egg hunt scheduled for Saturday, April 11, also has been canceled. Easter falls on Sunday, April 12, this year.

Tribal Council has three meetings scheduled in the month on April 1, 15 and 29. Like its March 18 meeting, attendance in person will be discouraged and Tribal members will be asked to watch the meetings via the livestream feed at www.grandronde.org.