The COVID-19 situation on the Navajo Nation is showing some improvement. Navajo Nation officials cited a declining number of new COVID- 19 cases and other improving conditions as they announced a new public health order that will allow a “soft reopening” of some businesses under certain restrictions.
However, the daily curfew for residents of the tribe’s reservation from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. will remain in effect under a separate new health order, officials announced Wednesday night.
Both orders will take effect Monday.
Officials cited testing availability, hospital capacity, and contact tracing in addition to the decrease in new cases as factors in the transition to a status allowing some businesses to reopen under restrictions that include capacity limits.
I have included in this report some documents that show the current status of things from the perspective of the Navajo Nation.
From our perspective, it is difficult to expect that we will be able to do a Spring installation. A number of things have to fall in place before we can consider and schedule our next event. Among these are:
- The Navajo Nation and Chapter leadership must invite/allow us access to the reservation
- We must decide upon the best method of protecting the elders we are serving, the Navajo volunteers (Guides, Translators, Cooks, etc.), and our volunteers and what protocols we need to put into place. The Navajo Nation may impose restrictions as well.
- We must decide if we are going to require vaccinations of our volunteers and if so how we will document that.
I wish I had something more definitive, but that is the nature of the times in which we find ourselves.
In the meantime, please stay safe.
Two new cases, 16,286 recoveries, and one more death related to COVID-19 as President Nez urges Navajo Nation residents to keep taking precautions.
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. –
On Tuesday, the Navajo Department of Health, in coordination with the
Navajo Epidemiology Center and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service, reported two new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and one more death. The total number of deaths is now 1,219 as of Tuesday. Reports indicate that 16,286 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, and 249,762 COVID-19 tests have been administered. The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 29,957, including one delayed reported case.
Navajo Nation COVID-19 positive cases by Service Unit:
- Chinle Service Unit: 5,512
- Crownpoint Service Unit: 2,867
- Defiance Service Unit: 3,568
- Gallup Service Unit: 4,732
- Kayenta Service Unit: 2,645
- Shiprock Service Unit: 5,022
- Tuba City Service Unit: 3,634
- Winslow Service Unit: 1,959
18 residences with COVID-19 positive cases are not specific enough to place them accurately in a Service Unit.
On Tuesday, the state of Arizona reported 497 new cases, Utah reported 481, and New Mexico reported 186 new cases. The Nez-Lizer Administration will host an online town hall on Wednesday, March 17, which marks one year since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported, beginning at 6:00 p.m. (MDT) to provide COVID-19 updates on the Nez-Lizer Facebook page and YouTube channel.
“Wednesday will mark one year since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 on the Navajo Nation. We will have a virtual day of prayer event on Friday morning, to honor and remember all of our loved ones we have lost to the virus. As we continue in this COVID-19 pandemic, the best way to honor those who have passed on is to keep fighting hard by continue to protect ourselves and others by adhering to the basic safety protocols – stay home as much possible, wear one or two masks, avoid large gatherings and crowds, practice social distancing, and wash your hands with soap and warm water often. We are making good progress right now, but based on what we have learned about COVID-19 over the last year we know how quickly another surge can happen. So, please continue to take all precautions and do not become complacent. There are variants that continue to spread in regions of the country and the CDC recently warned that the U.K. variant could become the dominant variant by the end of March of early April, but we have the ability to minimize its impact based on our daily actions,” said Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.
On Monday, March 15, the Navajo Nation transitioned from “red status” to “orange status” in accordance with gating measures and indicators that took into account several factors including the declining number of COVID-19 cases, testing availability, hospital capacity and bed usage, and contact tracing. The Navajo Nation’s daily curfew remains in effect from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. (MDT) seven days a week. The latest public health emergency orders are available online at: https://w>ww.ndoh.navajo-nsn.gov/COVID-19.
“Our best defense against COVID-19 are the safety measures that have been recommended since the start of the pandemic by public health experts combined with the vaccines. Here on the Navajo Nation, the vaccine is widely available at many health care center locations and more are being offered at chapter houses as well. Please continue to take precautions, be safe, and keep praying for our people,” said Vice President Myron Lizer.
For more information, including helpful prevention tips, and resources to help stop the spread of
COVID-19, visit the Navajo Department of Health's COVID-19 website: http://www.ndoh.navajo-
nsn.gov/COVID-19. For COVID-19 related questions and information, call (928) 871-7014.
'Tiny homes' address pandemic, housing on Navajo, Apache land.
Shelters help protect vulnerable residents from contracting, spreading virus
Copyright© 2021 Albuquerque Journal BY THERESA DAVIS, JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
Crowded homes, limited water and electricity, and an underfunded health system have fueled COVID-19·infections in the Southwest's tribal communities.
To help tackle these inequities Community Organized Relief Effort or CORE, builds small shelters on Navajo and White Mountain Apache home sites to prevent vulnerable residents from contracting and spreading the virus.
The 120-square-foot "tiny homes" are an emergency pandemic response and a longer-term housing solution, said Shira Goldstein, CORE's program director for the Navajo Nation and White Mountain Apache Reservation.
"We're responding week by week, listening to what the Indian. Health Service needs and working within the government system to provide resources and curb the spread of COVID on the Navajo Nation." Goldstein said. "But we are also building something that creates resilience and doesn't rely on us being here pumping resources in every single week to address the infrastructure gaps."
The organization has completed 125 of 350 shelters on tribal lands. Work on the New Mexico side of the Navajo Nation will begin in May.
CORE works with the HIS, Navajo Community Health Representatives, and Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health to identify people who live in crowded homes with older family members who have underlying health conditions.
Angus Pollard, CORE's shelter program manager, said they adopted COVID-19 prevention guidance from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to suit the needs of Navajo residents.
''A person may not be able to shelter in place because they're coming and going from the home as a first responder, or hauling water, or hay or wood, or going to dialysis appointments," Pollard said. "They don't want to bring the virus back to their vulnerable family members.''
Each dwelling is insulated and has a bed, futon, bookshelf, electrical outlets, solar lanterns, and a nearby outhouse.
Shelters are equipped with a three to four-month supply of masks, bleach, laundry soap, dish soap, toilet paper, and cleaning wipes, as well as educational materials for how to prevent household spread of COVID-19. "Since building these shelters, we've seen COVID come into the household, and it did not spread to the person that was trying to be shielded,” Pollard said. "It has worked in saving people's lives."
CORE enlists local out of work carpenters, painters, and plumbers to build about 15 shelters each week. Each shelter and outhouse costs about $6,000 for materials and labor and takes two days to build.
The organization received a $30 million donation from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey last year for its national pandemic response efforts.
The tiny home doors face east, as is Navajo tradition. Shelters will remain on the home sites after the pandemic is over.
''We want the local government and people to know we're here for the long term," Goldstein said. ''We're creating sustainable, safe homes. It's become more of a preventive public health strategy rather than a reactionary response.''
As of Wednesday, a total of 29,794 Navajo residents have contracted the COVID-19 virus, and 1,187 people have died from the disease.
For more information or to inquire about how you can help, contact Project Coordinator PP John Allman.
Please visit our project website www.navajosolarlight.org, share it with friends, family, acquaintances, and even strangers. And, of course, think about donating to our cause. Every $300 brings light to another home and family.