- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — The Navajo Nation stepped up its efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), setting up roadblocks Monday night as a curfew took effect to keep Navajo citizens at home.
Soon after the curfew went into effect at 8:00 p.m., the Navajo Police Department set up roadblocks to check if the drivers of vehicles were going to or coming from their place of employment.
Joining some officers at some of the roadblocks were Navajo Nation Jonathan Nez, Vice President Myron Lizer and Police Chief Phillip B. Francisco. The Navajo Nation leaders handed out COVID-19 pamphlets and urged drivers to return home safely and comply with the curfew.
The curfew allows for Navajo tribal citizens to travel to and from work during the overnight curfew hours (8:00 p.m. to 5 a.m.). The curfew will remain in effect nightly until further notice.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez on the frontline at a roadblock to enforce curfew on Navajo Reservation.
On Monday evening, Navajo Police were checking for proof of essential work status for drivers and occupants. Drivers must have on their possession official identification and/or a letter of designation from their essential business employer on official letterhead which includes a contact for verification.
As the night progressed, President Nez received reports of very low traffic flow in several communities on the Navajo Nation.
Nez urged Navajo citizens to remind family and friends of the curfew and stay home as much as possible.
Roadblocks on the Navajo Nation to let tribal citizens the curfew will be enforced.
“Stay home, stay safe! We are doing our best to keep people safe, but the government can’t do everything and that’s why everyone needs to stay home as much as possible. Every person is responsible for taking precautions to preserve their own health. This curfew is an added measure to protect our Navajo people, especially our elderly and high-risk. Everyone should read the new order entirely,” President Nez said on Sunday when he announced the curfew.
More Stories Like This
MMIP Red Dress Installation Vandalized in AlaskaNCAI Mid Year Underway on Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Homelands
Native News Weekly (June 3, 2023): D.C. Briefs
House Passes Bipartisan Debt Ceiling Deal; How Native American Members of Congress Voted
History Made as First Navajo Appointed U.S. Federal Judge in California
Native News is free to read.
We hope you enjoyed the story you've just read. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. Most readers donate between $10 and $25 to help us cover the costs of salaries, travel and maintaining our digital platforms. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to join the Founder's Circle. All donations help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.
