The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted communities large and small around the world. But the pandemic has hit Tribal communities especially hard. According to the Daily Yonder, on the Navajo Reservation as of May 27, 2020, 4,944 people out of a population of 173,000 had tested positive for Covid-19, and 159 had died.

“On the Navajo reservation, which covers more than 27,000 square miles in Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, 76 percent of households already have trouble affording enough healthy food, and the nearest grocery store is often hours away. Covid-related restrictions have further curtailed access to food supplies.”

Access to safe drinking water, affordable housing, homelessness and the resulting health issues contribute to the high rates of infection. In addition, the federal government has imposed limits on Tribal sovereignty, which have in turn obstructed Tribal governments’ ability to deal with the pandemic themselves.

But Tribal communities are not sitting passively by during the outbreak, they have acted quickly to combat the pandemic. Their actions include enforcing strict quarantines, restricting nontribal members’ visits, providing traditional foods to their communities and increasing healthcare capacity.

To learn more, go here: https://dailyyonder.com/native-american-tribes-pandemic-response-is-hamstrung-by-many-inequities/2020/06/09/