By Kevin Opsahl
Sun Correspondent
In a virtual forum on Dec. 3, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez announced he would be extending a lock down order for three weeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus, in addition to sending a “major disaster declaration” for President Donald Trump to sign.
The extension would begin Dec. 7, ordering the Navajo people to only go out for “essential business” and limiting gatherings under one roof. He also reinstated the 57-hour weekend curfew for the Nation Friday through Monday and having needed businesses open only for 12 hours a day during the work week. Nez reminded people that if a household needs something, only one person should go out.
The Navajo Nation president told his listeners on the online forum that his message is similar to what governors are imploring their residents to do.
“What’s different here is we have the ability to govern ourselves,” Nez said, “and that’s why we put in some very strict public emergency orders — to protect you.”
Speaking about the declaration to be sent to the White House, Nez said it would be helpful to get additional resources, particularly to health care workers, and also to reimburse the Nation for 75 percent of its general funds. He did not elaborate much on the declaration beyond that.
“We’re going to do our due diligence here and send that to Washington, DC,” Nez said.
The forum came as the Nation reported a total of 17,310 positive COVID-19 cases and 663 deaths since the pandemic started, according to Nez.
At the Dec. 2 online forum, Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer opened it up by calling the coronavirus situation an escalating concern, urging people to listen to the health professionals and follow protocols.
“Be vigilant, ever vigilant,” Lizer said.
Health care workers, including those at Gallup Indian Medical Center, weighed in.
Jonathan Iralu, infectious disease expert at the hospital, went first, noting that he is concerned about “the second rise” of COVID-19 that’s seen locally; so much so that medical facilities are “getting to the point of being overwhelmed.”
Hospital beds are full and when they try to send patients to other places in the state or Arizona, those places are essentially full, he said.
Paula Mora, a family medicine doctor with the Gallup Indian Medical Center, seconded that comment, saying that while it was true in the first wave of the pandemic they could transfer patients, they currently cannot with the onset of a second wave.
Iralu noted he was in the coronavirus unit at his medical center recently and found nurses who are tired and overworked.
“You can see the worry lines on their faces above the masks,” Iralu said. “We are truly in a crisis mode here on Navajo.”
Mora spoke about resources, saying that in the second wave of the pandemic, there is a need for oxygen.
“I think we're challenged here a little bit more with our facility at Gallup, with the age of our facility and our ability to even be able to have the oxygen delivered to all the patients we have admitted,” she said.
Paul Charlton, emergency medicine physician in Gallup, said there are long wait times for health care services and pleaded with everyone to “do everything to minimize your risk” so health care workers can focus on those with coronavirus.
He said regional health systems are under “extreme strain” — something that is not unique to the Navajo Nation, but border towns and states across the country, as well.
Charlton said care is being provided in “non-traditional locations” to meet the demands of those health care systems.
And many times, he said, there are no locations to admit sick patients to Gallup or surrounding areas, or places to transfer them — and that’s after calling around to several different hospitals. When teams succeed in finding locations for patients, however, there are often no flights or ambulances to take them there.
“This is truly a crisis at this point,” Carlton said. “Please continue to take this seriously.”
Nez offered a lengthy monologue, both in Navajo and in English, on the severity of the crisis.
“I just want to say to everyone, to remind the Navajo people, that the Nation has been fighting this monster, this virus, called COVID-19 for ten months,” he said. We’ve been … being repetitive as much as we can. I’d say 80 percent of our Navajo people are listening. But we’ve got to encourage and hold our people accountable.”
Nez cited a projection — but did not cite the source — saying coronavirus “will be four to five times” worse than what the Nation faced in the early days of the pandemic.
“That is why (there is) urgency,” Nez said. “We have the ability to bring this virus down.”
At the forum’s conclusion, Nez implore everyone in the Navajo Nation, even those outside it who might be listening, to do their part.
“We have control over this virus. How? By staying home,” Nez said. “I ask everybody today … we need to recommit to staying home and bring our numbers down.”
