As things sort themselves out on the Navajo Nation and the pandemic shows signs of easing, there is still no real date we can set for resumption of our installation projects.
In the meantime, I have created a “newsletter” to keep all interested persons informed and involved. If you wish to receive this as an email attachment each month, please let me know at johnallmanconsulting@gmail.com.
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.
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. You can follow developments on the Navajo Nation website at: https://www.navajo-nsn.gov
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.
- There must be a relaxation or total rescinding of the limits on the number of people that can gather. This is particularly important due to the close living quarters we find ourselves in and the number of volunteers that wish to participate. This is not an impossible obstacle, just a challenging logistical problem.
- 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.
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.
Navajo Reopening Plan
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://www.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.