WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. - The Navajo Police Department issued 274 citations during the Navajo Nation 57-hour weekend curfew, of those citations, 223 were for curfew violations and 51 were for traffic violations.

The police department’s efforts were in response to an extension issued April 29 by the Navajo Health Command Operations Center to extend the weekend curfew for two additional weekends in May.

This is the Navajo Police Department’s fourth 57-hour weekend curfew operation. The operation consisted of a saturation patrol in the eastern Navajo region. A noticeable increase of traffic on Highway 264 between Window Rock, Ariz., and Gallup was observed, although a majority of those...

Members of the board for the Intertribal Ceremonial Association are still planning to put on the event this August, but it won’t be the customary one.

Dudley Byerley, who has overseen the past four Ceremonials, has been known for wanting each year’s event to be bigger and more enjoyable than the one the year before. But the crisis surrounding the spread of COVID-19 has made that impossible this year.

Indian shows and major sports events have been canceled for the early part of the summer. But there are hopes that states will have the spread of the disease under control by July 4, so some events can be held. Gallup has already announced it is canceling the summer dances this...

The peak of cases for the COVID-19 pandemic is only days away.  Dr. Loretta Christensen, the Chief Medical Officer for the Navajo Area Indian Health Service, told reporters on a conference call that the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to peak on the Navajo Nation about May 10.

“We anticipate that we are beginning our surge, Chinle and Northern Navajo have had rapidly increasing numbers. Those were both as predicted,” Christensen said. “We anticipate the other areas, within the next week or so will also see a significant increase in cases.”

Christensen oversees five service units and eight healthcare centers within the Navajo Nation.

“We expected a full peak by around May 10...

Calculating COVID-19 data

Every day, everyone in New Mexico counted for COVID-19 is counted in the same way.  Mari Anixter,  communications director of the New Mexico Department of Health, says only positive tests are reported, and they include people on the Navajo Nation and the Zuni Pueblo.

The daily update for New Mexico consists of results from 33 counties.

“Whether someone dies in another state, or gets the virus in another state, if they are a resident of McKinley County, they will be counted in McKinley County,” Anixter said.

“The county statistics include Navajo Nation residents of the county and Zuni Pueblo residents of the county. But not all the residents of those...