The Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 12, 2020

41 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death reported as Navajo Nation extends declaration of state of emergency

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – The Navajo Department of Health in coordination with the Navajo Epidemiology Center and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service, reported 41 new cases of COVID-19 for the Navajo Nation and a total of 103 deaths as of Tuesday. The total number of positive COVID-19 cases for the Navajo Nation has reached 3,245, many of whom have recovered or are in the process of recovering from the virus. 

The 3,245 confirmed positive cases on the Navajo Nation include the following counties:

• McKinley County, NM: 867
• Apache County, AZ: 846
• Navajo County, AZ: 677
• Coconino County, AZ: 332
• San Juan County, NM: 377
• San Juan County, UT: 55
• Socorro County, NM: 26
• Cibola County, NM: 36
• Bernalillo County: 3
• Sandoval County, NM: 26

On Tuesday, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer extended the Navajo Nation’s declaration of a state of emergency and the closure of Navajo Nation government offices until June 7, to minimize the spread of COVID-19. The current declaration was set to expire on May 17. 

The Nez-Lizer Administration distributed food, water, pet food, and other essential items to 325 Navajo families in the communities of Klagetoh, Wide Ruins, Pine Springs, and Tsé si áni on Tuesday. Overall, the team has distributed essential items to over 5,000 families so far. 

“The state of Arizona and others are reopening restaurants and other businesses, but here on the Navajo Nation the time isn’t right to do so. Based on the advice of our health care experts and the data, we will continue to take precautions until we see a consistent downward trend in the number of COVID-19 cases. The food we are distributing is intended to help families stay home and stay safe. If you received food and water then you should not be traveling to shop for food and putting yourself and others at risk. The fight against COVID-19 continues and we’re not backing down,” said President Nez.

“Today is International Nurses Day and we cannot thank them enough for everything they are doing. We have so many EMT’s, law enforcement officers, doctors, and others who are on the frontlines fighting to save lives, so let’s help them by staying home as much as possible. They are truly our heroes and they are the answers to our prayers,” said Vice President Lizer. 

For more information including reports, helpful prevention tips, and more resources, please visit the Navajo Department of Health’s COVID-19 website at http://www.ndoh.navajo-nsn.gov/COVID-19. To contact the main Navajo Health Command Operations Center, please call (928) 871-7014. 

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