Navajo Nation Imposes Curfew

Above, Window Rock at Window Rock Tribal Park and Veteran's Memorial. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The sprawling Navajo Nation, which covers several states in the Southwest U.S., has imposed a curfew amid the coronavirus oubreak.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported:

A worsening COVID-19 outbreak on the sprawling Navajo reservation that reaches into New Mexico has prompted tribal leaders to impose a curfew and other staunch restrictions to combat the contagion.

Reported novel coronavirus cases on the Navajo Nation, which spans Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, reached 174 on Wednesday with seven deaths — a rapid escalation from when the first Navajo tribal member tested positive two weeks ago. 

In New Mexico’s portion of Navajo lands, there were 15 cases in San Juan County, 10 in McKinley County and one in Cibola County, according to the latest data. 

“We haven’t nearly reached the peak of the virus — that’s what’s our health care experts are telling us,” Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer said in a news release. 

“So, we need to be proactive and do everything we can to prepare for the worst, but pray and hope for the best,” he added. 

Navajo representatives didn’t respond to repeated requests for comment and information about the outbreak. 

Some officials have linked the outbreak to a church rally in Chilchinbeto, Ariz., where the pastor was coughing and congregants greeted each other with handshakes and hugs, the Los Angeles Times reported. 

On Sunday, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez ordered a curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. to bolster the stay-at-home order issued March 20. It limits people to essential activities outside their homes, such as shopping and doctor appointments.

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