All Fort Belknap COVID-19 tests come back negative

Fort Belknap Indian Community released a report Wednesday saying the results of all 1,015 COIVD-19 drive-through tests conducted May 15-16 came back negative.

This drive-through testing was celebrated by Gov. Steve Bullock who attended the event and said, “I so applaud the efforts of the Fort Belknap Indian Community and Indian Health Service to come together and make this happen.”

Fort Belknap has not had a confirmed case of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

However, the report said, all current safety restrictions on the reservation, including the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and the shelter-at-home order, are still in effect until the Fort Belknap Indian Community Council determines otherwise.

The report said Bullock’s phased re-opening recommendations are being monitored and recommendations about re-opening the reservation are being reviewed.

The report also encourages people with friends or family living off the reservation to continue to postpone any travel to the reservation to protect its more vulnerable residents.

“We are all in this together, and we need to look out for ourselves and one another,” the report said.

People who haven’t been tested, but feel they should be, are encouraged to call Fort Belknap Indian Health Service at 353-1000.