Cronkite News: Navajo leaders lay out plan to spend relief funds, shield elderly from ‘this monster’

Wednesday, June 10, 2020  

SCOTTSDALE – Federal funding has reached the Navajo Nation, and President Jonathan Nez is urging tribal leaders to move quickly to approve the distribution of $50 million in funds from the CARES Act.

The proposed legislation would help the tribe distribute services and equipment, Nez said in a virtual town hall meeting Tuesday. The legislation, which must be approved by the Navajo Nation Council, would fund crucial water infrastructure projects, personal protection equipment, hazard pay for Navajo workers and other services.

“We need your help,” Nez said during the virtual meeting. “Talk to your delegates.”

According to a petition in favor of the legislation, which had more than 600 signatures at the time of this story’s publication, the bill “creates a unified approach to developing plans for much-needed water infrastructure that will bring clean water to thousands of Navajo families, elders, and high-risk tribal members.”

Navajo leaders also encouraged those living on the reservation to take care of the older population.

“We’ve spent $1.6 million on funerals,” Vice President Myron Lizer told the town hall. “We can’t just blame the government, we are all part of this.”

Lizer and Nez said caring for one’s relatives, especially older Navajos who are at higher risk for COVID-19 infection and complications, is the responsibility of the Navajo people.

“We have to shield them from this monster that is taking over our land,” Nez said.

As of June 9, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported 28,296 cases of COVID-19 and 1,070 deaths in the state. It said 409,174 tests for COVID-19 have been completed in public and private labs in Arizona, and 6.915% of tests have come back positive for the virus. To date, 5.7% of Arizonans have been tested.

Arizona has hit its highest seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Nation-wide protests, relaxed stay-at-home limitations and reopenings could play a role in increasing numbers, according to The Washington Post. Data from the Post shows that although cases originally were rising in metropolitan areas, increases now are occurring in more rural areas. Because those regions have smaller population sizes and fewer health care resources, experts worry they will struggle to track and treat new cases.

The Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund has raised more than $4.7 million to help support Navajo and Hopi communities since it was created March 15, according to a press release. Donations made to the group’s GoFundMe page are used to purchase healthful foods and cleaning supplies. The nonprofit offers regular updates on its GoFundMe and social media pages.

For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.

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Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News and is published via a Creative Commons license. Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

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