PENDLETON -- The novel coronavirus case in Eastern Oregon is the first in the nation with a known link to a tribal reservation, placing the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation at the forefront of halting the disease.

State and tribal health officials have said the coronavirus patient works at the tribe’s Wildhorse Resort and Casino, a main economic driver for the tribe, which has more than 3,100 members. The patient is not a tribal member.

In the five days since learning about the man’s diagnosis, tribal healthcare officials took steps to limit transmission and to reassure tribal members that their risk remains low. The response is unique in Oregon, where county public health officials often direct on-the-ground efforts. The tribe has sovereign authority to react as it sees fit, said Carrie Sampson-Samuels, the community wellness director for Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center, on the reservation.

Tribal leaders say they are also confronting reports of racist comments and treatment both in Pendleton and on the reservation, with people implying that tribal members may carry the virus.

Some students have been discriminated against at school, and a pizza company refused delivery service to tribal members, tribal spokesman Chuck Sams said. State and federal laws prohibit discrimination based on race or ethnicity.

“The virus doesn’t know race,” Sams said. “Tribal members are not happy. Tribes across the United States were affected by a measles epidemic in the late 1700s and early 1800s that wiped out a lot of people. If anybody understands an epidemic, it’s American Indians. It should be no surprise that the tribe took extra precautions.”

The tribe has focused on contacting and educating people who are vulnerable to the virus, including about 100 elder tribal members, Sampson-Samuels said. They closed the Nixyaawii Senior Center all week and delivered meals to people’s homes.

“We wanted to ensure our elders had access to one-on-one contact,” Sampson-Samuels said. “Not everyone is on social media or on the web, so we realized that’s one of the populations we had to reach out to specifically.”

Healthcare officials also made sure students and parents at Nixyaawii School, a public charter school that focuses on serving Native American students, as well as the tribe’s daycare, Head Start and after-school programs, had information about how to limit their risk of contracting and spreading the virus.

Sampson-Samuels said about 20 of Yellowhawk’s 151 employees have focused on coronavirus outreach by talking to people and answering questions from callers.

The tribe also recorded and released a video featuring Board of Trustees Chair Kat Brigham and Yellowhawk Medical Director Dr. James Winde. The two discussed safety protocols for preventing the spread of the virus, like proper hand washing methods, and potential symptoms that tribal members should look out for.

“Yes, this is a virus,” Brigham said in the video. "But at the same time, we can work together to prevent the virus from spreading — by taking care of ourselves, by being healthy and by taking care of each other. "

“We’re helping each other be educated and be aware of what we need to be doing.”

Tribal employees worked to reach out to tribal members wherever they could, Sams said.

“We talked with community members at convenience stores, at the truck stop (at Wildhorse),” Sams said. “People hungered for information.”

Rita George, a tribal member who was at the casino on Thursday, said she was in shock when she first heard that someone local was sickened with the virus. But she said she and many others soon felt reassured.

“I have a lot of tribal faith,” she said. “I believed we were going to take care of it, and we did. They’re not advertising any kind of fear around here.”

Although no tribal members have tested positive for the virus, Sampson-Samuels said the tribe has taken extra precautions to make sure high-traffic areas are safe. Tribal leaders decided to temporarily close the Mission Longhouse, a gathering place on the reservation, for cleaning.

“I don’t think there’s been a great amount of fear,” she said. “I think the reaction has been that people are thankful for the information.”

The tribe has also sought help from the Indian Health Service, which provides medical care nationwide to members of federally recognized tribes.

“They’ve been very responsive to our needs,” she said.

After a Umatilla County man who worked at Wildhorse Resort & Casino, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation closed the property for two days to deep clean it. It reopened Wednesday, March 4. Jayati Ramakrishnan | The Oregonian/OregonLiveJayati Ramakrishnan | The Oregonian/OregonLive

After reports arrived Monday about the employee’s coronavirus diagnosis, the tribe closed and deep cleaned its Wildhorse Resort and Casino buildings. The properties reopened Wednesday.

Dusty Minthorne, lead security supervisor at Wildhorse, said on Thursday that operations had essentially returned to normal.

“We have a lot more printouts around telling people how to decrease the spread of germs,” he said.

Many customers at the casino said they had no concerns about coming back after the closures.

“It’s simple — if you’re going to catch it, you’re going to catch it,” said Mike Howland, as he and his wife ate lunch at Wildhorse. “It’ll get back to normal.”

His wife, Darlene Howland, said she wasn’t convinced the closure was necessary, but said it put people’s minds at ease.

“It gave people peace of mind that they’re not going to walk in and find something lurking,” she said.

Shirley Warnock, the manager at Mission Market on the reservation, said customers haven’t expressed too much concern over the virus.

“Everyone that’s come through here has just come together and kept everything going,” he said.

Still, fears about a perceived link between the tribe and the coronavirus case have surfaced. Sams said a hotel in Pendleton put up a sign telling people who had stayed at Wildhorse not to stay at their business.

County officials issued a statement reminding county residents that no particular race is any more susceptible to the virus, said Joe Fiumara, who directs the Umatilla County Public Health Department. He said county officials find the discriminatory behavior unacceptable.

The InterMountain Educational Service District and the Oregon School Activities Association, which are hosting a statewide basketball tournament in Pendleton, planned to issue a statement at the games asking people not to make assumptions about people’s health based on their ethnicity or residence, Sampson-Samuels said.

She said tribal members have been hurt and angered by reports of racist incidents.

“It reminds them of the true presence of racism that’s still alive and well throughout much of our county,” she said. “It’s not something we can brush under the rug. It’s clearly alive and well, especially when events like this come up.”

Sams said the closure of the casino, which has about 4,200 patrons on a normal day, will have an economic impact, but they haven’t yet determined how large. Tribal leaders decided that cleaning was more important, he said.

“We’re not really going to mitigate the loss,” he said. “The board just felt that strongly.”

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—Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

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