Department of Health urges safe celebration for Halloween 2021
Staff Reports
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — The Navajo Department of Health continues to caution schools and the general public and provide public health guidance to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 infections at all times, including the upcoming Halloween weekend.
With the realization that new daily cases continue to fluctuate on the Navajo Nation, and with New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah continuing to report large numbers of new infections, the Navajo Department of Health is suggesting Navajo Nation residents choose virtual events such as virtual costume contests, outdoor trunk-or-treating, and activities at home with household members only, and avoid large in-person gatherings, door-to-door trick-or-treating, in-person costume contests and other in-person gatherings where person-to-person interactions increase the risk of spreading COVID-19.
“Our public health experts issued this guidance because they see first-hand the impacts of in-person gatherings and we don’t want any more of our people to lose their lives to COVID-19," Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said. "Every single day, our frontline warriors see people coming into the hospitals with symptoms and some who are not able to recover from the virus."
The Navajo DOH recommends people celebrate Halloween carefully.
* Avoid gatherings with more than 15 people.
* Celebrate virtually or with the family you live with in the same household.
* Wear a protective mask and stay at least six-feet apart. (A Halloween mask is not sufficient to reduce the spread of COVID-19.)
* Discourage person-to-person contact.
*Ensure that any "treats" that are shared or received/distributed are individually packaged. As an alternative to door-to-door trick-or-treating, public health officials recommend outdoor trunk-or-treating where vehicles are spaced out to ensure attendees maintain social distancing of at least six feet, foot traffic markings and directions are used, and individually packaged treats are distributed at the end of the event to minimize close contact between organizers and attendees.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Navajo Nation has reported 36,255 cases overall and 1,475 deaths as of Oct. 26. According to the latest reports available, the state of New Mexico reported 687 cases, Arizona reported 6,299 new cases, and Utah reported 1,614 cases.
For more information, including helpful prevention tips, and resources to help stop the spread of COVID-19, visit the Navajo Department of Health's COVID-19 website: http://www.ndoh.navajonsn.gov/COVID-19. For COVID-19 related questions and information, call (928) 871-7014.
