Navajo Nation reinstates lockdown as Covid-19 cases surge near reservation | US news | The Guardian
▻https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/18/navajo-nation-coronavirus-lockdown-arizona
▻https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/004b0ae485ad3fcb184ac010410370c3b125aa77/0_0_5166_3102/master/5166.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-ali
The Navajo, the second largest Native American tribe, has been severely affected by the pandemic with 322 confirmed deaths as of Wednesday – more than 16 states including Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota. The death toll equates to a death rate of 177 per 100,000, higher than any single US state. New cases and deaths have been declining over the past couple of weeks, thanks to public health measures such as widespread testing, which led to travel restrictions including a weekend curfew being lifted at the start of June. However, tribal leaders fear the rapid rise in cases in neighboring states, especially Arizona but also Utah, threatens to undo their hard-won progress in containing the spread. Navajo nation president Jonathan Nez said at a virtual town hall earlier this week: “Arizona relaxed its preventive measures, and the number of cases and hospitalizations continue to drastically increase. We cannot put our nation in the same situation. A 57-hour lockdown has been ordered for the next two weekends, with only essential travel permitted. The state began easing restrictions on businesses in early May and lifted its statewide lockdown order on 15 May, even though there was no consistent downward trend and rapid testing is not widely available. About 25% of the population on the reservation have been tested, one of the highest rates anywhere. In comparison, Arizona has tested 5% of its population, and nationwide the figure stands at 8%, according to the Covid ” Coronavirus cases are increasing in 20 states including California, Florida, Alaska and Idaho. In response, tribal leaders across the US continue to enforce strict lockdown measures even as governors ease public health controls in favor of reopening for business. In Montana, which reopened to tourists on 1 June, the impact of coronavirus remains relatively low, with 630 confirmed cases including 20 deaths, but numbers are on the rise. The state’s eight tribes, including the Crow and Blackfeet nations, have not relaxed shutdowns or stay-at-home orders, partly in order to protect their vulnerable elders, who are revered as guardians of Native culture and heritage.
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