COVID-19 in Indian Country
The Hopi Health Care Center, an Indian Health Service facility on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona, reported its first COVID-19 positive case on March 25, 2020. According to a statement shared on social media, the patient was tested at the facility and was “discharged home to self-quarantine.” The person does not live on the reservation, […]

“We must ensure Indian Country has equal access to federal coronavirus resources,” Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, said in a speech on the U.S. Senate floor on March 25, 2020. Full remarks below:

NAFOA is coordinating with several national organizations to convene a second Tribal Leader Town Hall tomorrow, March 26, to discuss the third phase of COVID-19 stimulus legislation that the Senate is expected to pass today. Tribal Leader Town Hall: COVID-19 Phase 3 Legislation  March 26, 2020 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Eastern Click for Webinar […]

For Immediate Release March 23, 2020 Seven Congressional Leaders Join 450+ Progressive Organizations to Demand People’s Bailout in Response to Coronavirus Crisis   Dear Colleague letter to Congressional leaders calls for “down payment” on green economy   WASHINGTON D.C — Indigenous Environmental Network is participating in a large coalition that is developing the “Five Principles […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 24, 2020 Court postpones hearing on Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit  Plaintiffs and defendants jointly asked for delay due to COVID-19 pandemic SANTA FE—The First Judicial District Court has postponed the hearing, set for this Friday, to hold the state in compliance with the court order on the Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico […]

  A 32-year-old Oglala Lakota man, Vernon Black Eyes, has spent the past week distributing free hand sanitizer and toilet paper to elders and people with underlying health conditions that make them more vulnerable to the coronavirus in Lincoln, Nebraska. Video by Kevin Abourezk: https://youtu.be/9qOzpE4Zq2k

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), a former Democratic candidate for president, announced that her husband, John, has contracted coronavirus. “I love him & not being able to be by his side is one of the hardest things about this disease,” Klobuchar said in a post on social media. “So many are going through this & much […]

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota announced the passing of her older brother, Ron, to the coronavirus on Sunday, March 22, 2020. In a post on social media, she said he was the second COVID-19 death in Tennessee, and was more than just a “statistic.” “I’ll remember a loving, older brother, uncle, father, and husband,” […]

Independent presidential candidate Mark Charles, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, is hosting a live stream to discuss the COVID-19 crisis in the United States. Tune in at 12pm Eastern: Youtube: youtube.com/markcharles2020 Facebook: facebook.com/MarkCharles2020

With many people staying inside to slow the spread of the coronavirus, a Lakota man went from house to house, delivering much-needed supplies to people in need in his community. https://www.indianz.com/News/2020/03/23/urban-indian-couple-helps-community-amid.asp

A 32-year-old Lakota man has been helping slow the spread of the coronavirus, one bottle of hand sanitizer and one roll of toilet paper at a time. Kevin Abourezk of Indianz.Com was able to follow Vernon Black Eyes (Oglala Sioux Tribe) and his girlfriend Sara Anderson (Omaha Tribe) as the made their rounds in Lincoln, Nebraska, […]

“This isolation is temporary for most, but for many elders what you are now experiencing is the norm”: A message from living legend Saginaw Grant, an actor, elder and veteran from the Sac and Fox Nation.  

How does the Indian Health Service test patients for the coronavirus? It’s a question on the minds of many in Indian Country. Efforts by the Navajo Area of the IHS offer some guidance. According to Dr. Loretta Christensen, the Chief Medical Officer for the region, the IHS has been utilizing “commercial labs” to conduct testing. […]

Lyle Gerard (Blackfeet) has created a map showing the locations of tribal nations and their proximity to confirmed coronavirus cases in Montana. The map shows confirmed cases on the Flathead Reservation, home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.  According to the state of Montana, there are 2 cases in Flathead County, as of the morning […]

The so-called “Phase 3” #Coronavirus relief package circulating on Capitol Hill leaves Indian Country behind. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act doesn’t mention tribes, American Indians or Alaska Natives. Not once in 274 pages. Here’s what Kevin Allis, Chief Executive Officer of the National Congress of American Indians, said about the CARES Act. […]

March 20, 2020 Chair Grijalva Statement on Interior Secretary Bernhardt Encouraging Public Lands Visits During Coronavirus Pandemic Washington, D.C. – Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement today on Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s recent message to the American people encouraging visits to public lands during the coronavirus pandemic.   “While I understand the […]

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr offered the following statement in response to the passing of Merle Dry, a 55-year-old Cherokee citizen who died after contracting the coronavirus: “For months, we watched this virus from afar, and now with the passing of a Cherokee Nation citizen in Tulsa County, we hope people understand this […]

 The number of #Coronavirus cases on the Navajo Nation continues to grow by the day. The embedded map helps visualize the reach of the disease on the reservation, which is the largest in the United States. According to Navajo leaders, the #COVID19 patients reported to or were transported to, or were treated at three […]

News from Indianz.Com: With the number of coronavirus cases in Indian Country growing by the day, tribes are pressing the federal government to live up to its treaty and trust responsibilities and ensure their communities aren’t left out of relief efforts. https://www.indianz.com/News/2020/03/19/lives-are-at-risk-coronavirus-cases-cont.asp

In his regular Mullin’ It Over column, Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, discusses efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the United States: The decisions we make each day impact our communities. Even if you are a young or healthy person, you can spread the disease and increase […]