The Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2020

95 new cases of COVID-19, six more deaths reported Navajo Nation receives a portion of CARES Act funds

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — The Navajo Department of Health in coordination with the Navajo Epidemiology Center and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service, reported 95 new cases of COVID-19 for the Navajo Nation and a total of 85 deaths as of Wednesday. The total number of positive COVID-19 cases for the Navajo Nation has reached 2,654. A total of 16,280 COVID-19 tests have been administered with 12,170 negative test results.

The 2,654 confirmed positive cases on the Navajo Nation include the following counties:

• McKinley County, NM: 736
• Apache County, AZ: 656
• Navajo County, AZ: 574
• Coconino County, AZ: 306
• San Juan County, NM: 262
• San Juan County, UT: 46
• Socorro County, NM: 25
• Cibola County, NM: 25
• Bernalillo County: 3
• Sandoval County, NM: 21

On Wednesday, the Navajo Nation received approximately $600 million in CARES Act funding, which includes very specific guidelines and provisions from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. 

“The funding we received represents only a portion of the CARES Act allocation, approximately 60-percent according to the federal government. We are in the process of carefully reviewing the guidelines and provisions from the Department of the Treasury. The Executive Branch advocated strongly through lobbying efforts at the congressional level and through the media and we took the federal government to court to get these funds and now we have to be able to account for all of it. This can’t be a free-for-all spending spree. $600 million may sound like a lot, but we have to remember that the infrastructure needs of the Navajo Nation alone amount to billions of dollars. When the Nation received settlement funds years ago, the Navajo Nation held public hearings and identified infrastructure, housing, and scholarship funding as top priorities, so we know what the needs are already,” said President Nez.

On Wednesday, the Office of the President and Vice President continued distributing food, water, and other supplies to 328 Navajo families in the communities of Alamo and Ramah, N.M. Precautions were taken as items were placed in vehicles by staff members with no direct contact with the local residents.

“As we approach another 57-hour weekend curfew, everyone needs to prepare and that doesn’t mean rushing into public and crowding grocery stores. 

Let’s be mindful of others when we are purchasing food and other essential items. Please do not take your children into public and please wear masks and practice social distancing at all times,” said Vice President Myron Lizer. 

On Wednesday, President Nez and Vice President Lizer issued a proclamation declaring May 6 – 10, 2020 as “Navajo Nation Nurses Appreciation Week” to honor and pay tribute to all nurses and health care workers for their contributions and hard work to save lives across the Navajo Nation. 

“We thank all of the frontline workers and that includes all of the nurses, doctors, and many other hospital workers. You are the answers to our prayers. You are our warriors and our heroes fighting to save the lives of our Navajo people,” President Nez said.

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.