Despite travel restrictions, Manitoba Hydro brought in up to 1200 staff from various regions, including COVID-19 hotspots. To prevent the virus’s spread, the Tataskweyak Cree Nation and Fox Lake Cree Nation blocked access to the construction site. An agreement was later reached to address the concerns the project was able to continue. However, in November 2020, an uncontrolled COVID-19 outbreak occurred at the site, AMC, MKO, KIM, and the four First Nations criticized Manitoba Hydro’s lack of preparedness and called on the Prime Minister of Canada to urgently address the situation.