Some members of the Navajo Nation Council want New Mexico officials to close down package liquor stores in towns bordering the Navajo Reservation.

On April 17, an emergency resolution was filed with the Speaker’s Office asking the council to urge the Governor of New Mexico to use her authority to close liquor stores.

The proposed resolution points out that the tribe has imposed a curfew on travel from 8 pm to 5 am as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 on the reservation.

“Navajo Nation residents are not abiding by the curfew in order to travel to stores selling alcoholic beverages,” the resolution stated.

The resolution also emphasizes that an April 6 notice by the state’s health department said stores selling alcoholic beverages are not considered to be necessary businesses.

This issue of liquor sales and its effects on community spread of the virus has been a hot topic this month.

In early April, the McKinley County Commission passed a resolution limiting what liquor stores in the county could sell. The commission limited sales to one bottle of wine or a 12 pack of beer.

A week later, they met again and decided to rescind that resolution after being told that people were getting around the law by just going to more than one location to get all the alcoholic beverages they wanted.

The City of Gallup also decided to order a ban on liquor sales at convenience stores in the city.

Staff Reports