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During a recent procession for three Seneca women who died of COVID-19, community members lined the streets.
A giant Seneca Nation flag hung over a roadway as roughly 100 vehicles _ school buses, ambulances, police cruisers and loved ones in cars _ made their way through Salamanca, in the Allegany Territory of the tribe’s New York reservation.
“They’ve never done anything like that before for anyone,” said Jessica Ludwick, whose mother, grandmother and aunt died within weeks of each other. “It was a lot to take in, but it also, it made our hearts happy.”
The three women were well-known, well-loved tribal citizens and fell ill in May. Norma Kennedy, 91, died on May 23, followed by her daughters, Diane Kennedy, 71, on May 29 and Cindy Mohr, 65 _ Ludwick’s mother _ on June 12.
They left what Seneca Nation President Ricky Armstrong described as an “unmistakable emptiness” in the tribe. All three served the community, in their careers and beyond.

Ontario students will be back in class September, but their schedules and class sizes may vary depending on where they live.
Back to class: Elementary students and many high schoolers will be in school five days a week in standard class sizes. However, secondary students at two dozen boards that are higher risk will only attend class half the time, and will spend the rest of the week working on “curriculum-linked independent work.” Parents will also have the option to keep their kids out of class, and boards must provide options for remote learning.
Groups: For high schoolers in high-risk districts, class sizes will be capped at 15. Meanwhile, elementary students won’t be broken up into smaller groups, but will be grouped into cohorts and their exposure to different teachers will be limited.
Physical distancing: While Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the aim is to keep students one metre apart from each other, a guidance document says only that schools should promote “as much distancing as possible” rather than being strictly enforced.
Masks: Masks will be mandatory for students in Grades 4 through 12, and will be strongly encouraged for younger kids when they’re in indoor common areas. Staff will be expected to wear masks.
Transportation: Some school boards may have more than one student assigned to a seat. When physical distancing isn’t possible, masks will be mandatory for students in Grades 4 to 12, and younger students will be encouraged but not required to do the same.
New routines: Students in some districts will have to pre-register for in-person schooling. Some schools may limit or even ban visitors, including parents. Breaks will be scheduled to allow students to wash their hands.

Ontario is reporting 112 new cases of COVID-19 and one new death related to the coronavirus.
There were also 78 cases newly marked as resolved in today’s report.
The total number of cases now stands at 42,195, which includes 2,810 deaths and 38,204 cases marked as resolved.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says 29 of the province’s 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer new cases, while 17 units are reporting none.
She says the province was able to complete 24,970 tests over the previous day.
The province says 51 people are currently in hospital with the virus, with 20 in intensive care and 10 on ventilators.
It notes that about 35 hospitals did not submit daily bed census data for the period, as is often the case on weekends. Those numbers will be reflected in the coming days.