Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez has announced a new public health emergency order extending the 57-hour reservation-wide curfew for the two remaining weekends in April.
The curfew order begins Fri, April 17 at 8 p.m. and lasts until Mon, April 20 at 5 a.m. and then will be in effect next the following weekend. As part of the order all essential businesses will also close to slow the spread of coronavirus.
“The previous 57-hour weekend curfew was effective in keeping people safe at home and we’re optimistic that the upcoming weekend curfews will produce even better results,” said Nez in a press release. “Everyone needs to plan ahead for the weekend curfews, purchase what you need during the week, but do so in a safe manner. The projections are alarming, but the decisions and actions of the public are the biggest factor when it comes to the numbers of positive cases. We’re fighting hard, but it’s very disheartening when we receive reports of large numbers of our own people traveling and crowding stores in border towns. Everyone needs to do their part to educate their loved ones and to hold each other accountable if we want to bring down the numbers.”
Nez says further measures are necessary to decrease infection rates on the reservation where COVID-19 has spread rapidly in recent weeks. There are 921 known cases on the Navajo Nation with 38 confirmed deaths.
