Ohkay Owingeh is hosting a coronavirus testing event for tribal citizens and the general public next week.
The event is occurring in conjunction with the New Mexico Department of Health and the nearby city of Espanola. Testing will take place at the Ohkay Hotel Casino on May 21 and May 22.
“Please consider getting tested,” a May 7 memo from the tribal administration states. “The reason testing is important is because it is the only way to determine if we are truly without cases here in our local community. The more we can determine this, the better decisions we can make about re-opening things up.”
Those decisions including two feast days next month, one on June 13 and the other on June 24. Hundreds of citizens participate in dances and welcome relatives, friends and members of the public into their homes during the events.
The tribe hasn’t decided whether the feasts, which are an important part of the cultural calendar, will take place. In the event they do, there will no be vendors or no carnival, according to the May 7 memo.
Dancers at Ohkay Owingeh in New Mexico. Photo: Larry Lamsa
The tribe engaged in widespread testing in April. About 10-12 percent of citizens living in the community were tested. None were positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
A tribal citizen who lives off the reservation, though, contracted COVID-19. The person has recovered, according to the tribe.
Additionally, a client of the substance abuse center on the reservation tested positive. Employees and other people who may have come into contact with the person were also tested. None were positive for COVID-19.
Ohkay Owingeh is located in Rio Arriba County. Despite being home to a large city of more than 10,000 people, the county has recorded just 30 cases as of May 14, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.
Overall, tribal citizens in the state are being disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus. According to the data, 58 percent of COVID-19 cases are of American Indians and Alaska Natives even though they only account for 9.5 percent of the overall population.
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