COVID-19 in Indian Country
Oversight of the DOI’s CARES Act spending is critical to safeguard health and safety, water, and Indian education.

NDN Collective stands in unwavering solidarity with the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in their efforts to protect their people and to assert their rights as sovereign Nations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The total number of positive COVID-19 cases for the Navajo Nation has reached 3,740 as of May 15, 2020.

The Ho-Chunk Nation would like to clarify that the tribe's COVID-19 orders, issued by the President, will remain in effect until modified, rescinded, or until further notice.

On the show: Journalist, organizer, and founding executive director of Crushing Colonialism Jen Deerinwater, Miwok journalist and community organizer Desiree Kane, and journalist and community builder Johnnie Jae.

Dr. Ronald J. Graham (Absentee Shawnee) is the new president of Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Native American Journalists Association has postponed the 2020 National Native Media Conference until 2021.

The Auntie Project: Native Women of Service launched a new initiative—the Navajo Nation Covid-19 Family Relief Effort.

The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council has approved an economic support program to distribute CARES Act funding to all adult citizens.

'We are disappointed to see that Arizona is reopening,' said Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.

As of May 14, 2020, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases for the Navajo Nation has reached 3,632. Preliminary reports from a few health care facilities indicate that approximately 515 individuals have recovered on the largest reservation in the United States.

The HEROES Act, a bill that provides $20 billion for tribal governments, and rule changes to allow remote proceedings during the COVID-19 pandemic are up for debate in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Indian Health Service has updated its coronavirus testing data, showing 6,436 COVID-19 cases within the system as of May 13, 2020.

The Food and Drug Administration is alerting the public to early data that suggest potential inaccurate results from using the Abbott ID NOW point-of-care test to diagnose COVID-19. Specifically, the test may return false negative results.

Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Arizona) and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) are hosting a roundtable on May 15, 2020, with three national tribal organizations to discuss the newly introduced Heroes Act.

Ohkay Owingeh is hosting a coronavirus testing event for tribal citizens and the general public.

The Billings Area Indian Health Service is announcing the expansion of specialty care services, allowing local providers to refer patients to see a specialist via a virtual clinic appointment.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, less than half of households on Tribal lands have access to fixed broadband service.

The Indian Health Service hosted a media briefing on May 14, 2020, to discuss the agency’s public health response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Recently, the Mescalero Apache Tribe received $13.5 million to address the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.