Story at a glance
- The Navajo Nation has been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.
- Lockdown restrictions will increase while states begin to make plans to reopen.
More than 100 coronavirus related deaths have occurred in the Navajo Nation as cases continue to rise among the tribe already hit hard by the pandemic.
Local New Mexico outlet KOB4 reports that on Wednesday the Navajo Department of Health posted an increase of 147 new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, as well as 16 additional deaths.
The new total of positive cases among Navajo Native Americas is now 3,392 with 119 total deaths, per Navajo health department statistics.
America is changing faster than ever. Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feeds to stay top of the most important news.
Across New Mexico, Native Americans represent a majority with 57.35 percent of coronavirus cases when analyzing by race or ethnicity. This is despite only making up about 10.9 percent of the entire New Mexico population, based on June 2019 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
As coronavirus cases and deaths continue to rise, Navajo leaders extended the executive order declaring a state of emergency and government closures to June 7. This is in contrast to states that are preparing to open in the coming days and weeks.
KOB4 also writes that Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez announced that there will be a 57-hour lockdown within the Navajo Nation this weekend that will invoke even stricter public health protocols.
“With some states starting to reopen, it’s giving people the impression that it’s okay to go out into public, but it’s not safe yet. With today’s numbers, it’s clear that everyone needs to step up and hold each other accountable to stay home,” Nez said.
The Navajo Nation has struggled to receive state and federal support with their coronavirus battle. Most recently, Doctors Without Borders sent a rare mission to New Mexico to help Native American communities fight the virus.
In one viral instance, The Seattle Indian Health Board received body bags instead of the testing equipment and medical supplies it ordered. While the body bag shipment was the result of a mistake from the medical supply distributor, officials at the health care clinic saw it as a metaphor for the battle American Indian tribes are facing against the coronavirus.
Multiple tribes are in a legal battle for better funding and protections to mitigate the damage caused by the coronavirus. The Navajo Nation recently joined 10 other tribes in a lawsuit filed against the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury to secure a portion of federal coronavirus relief funding.
Other tribes are also facing challenges with state authorities. The Cheyenne River Sioux and Oglala Sioux Tribes are currently in dispute with Governor Kristi Noem (R) of South Dakota over checkpoints established on reservations to monitor traffic as a means to quell the spread of the virus.
Nez acknowledged the difficulty underfunded tribal governments are having with controlling the virus spread, saying “Our law enforcement officers are stretched thin and we don’t have the manpower to enforce the shelter-in-place order and the daily and weekend curfews around the clock. It’s very disheartening to see more and more traffic on our roads and more people going into border towns, but we’re not giving up. We’re going to look at what else we need to do to bring the numbers down.”
BREAKING NEWS ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
THESE ARE THE 6 WAYS THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC COULD END
WHO: THERE’S NO EVIDENCE WEARING A MASK WILL PROTECT YOU FROM CORONAVIRUS
HERE’S WHEN THE CORONAVIRUS WILL PEAK IN YOUR STATE
FAUCI PREDICTS ANOTHER CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN THE FALL WITH A ‘VERY DIFFERENT’ OUTCOME
MORE THAN 1000 TEST POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS AT TYSON MEAT PLANT THE DAY IT REOPENS
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
