Fearful Indigenous elders are retreating to the bush, as coronavirus creeps closer to remote communities | EllaMareeAB
Madeline Purdie was supposed to be showing her paintings at an art market near Perth this week.
Despite the measures, the virus is creeping closer to Ms Purdie’s home town of Warmun, an Aboriginal community of about 600 people in the East Kimberley, renowned for its arts centre.There are 17 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Kimberley, including in Kununurra and Halls Creek. Warmun sits between the two.“We're in the middle of those two towns, so it's really frightening. I'm really worried about our community,” Ms Purdie said.
If there is an outbreak, Ms Purdie says it’s likely the local aged care home, due to open this year, will be used as a quarantine facility. Once a week at Norton Bore, the group of 15, a mix of elders and children, have groceries delivered. For the most part, they are living on bush tucker and using traditional medicines.In some ways, the camp has become a cultural refuge, removed from the unfolding crisis. But fears remain, particularly for those who are still living in the Warmun township.
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