The Navajo nation is struggling to survive the coronavirus

Lack of government support

Timothy Nelson, principal of Pian High School, believes there are many reasons for the Navajo nation’s high rate of infection, including a lack of federal and state government support.

“I’ve always told people, ‘If you want to see a third world country, look inside the United States,'” Nelson said.

He saw no evidence of government assistance in Pinon or surrounding cities to help fight the epidemic.

“It makes me excited,” Nelson said. “We call ourselves the United States of America, and we’re helping other countries, but we’re not really helping ourselves.”

In Navajo Nation, the 2010 U.S. According to census figures, in the Navajo nation, 38% of the population lives below the poverty line. That’s double the 15.1% poverty rate in the U.S. since the 2010 census.

At state-run Pinnon High School, an average of 55% of its students are eligible for a free or reduced lunch program, compared to 55% in the state.

As the infection rate increased, Nelson said he was afraid to ask people how they did it because he would know someone in his family had died.

He could not attend the funeral

બેવરલી મિક્સ, પીનોનથી 15 માઇલ પૂર્વમાં રહેતા ચારની માતાએ જણાવ્યું હતું કે તેના પિતરાઇ ભાઇ વાયરસથી મૃત્યુ પામ્યા હતા અને તેને ક્યારેય વિદાય ન મળી. He said only a close family was present at the funeral and they were not allowed to see his body.

“What if they want to put things in the casket?” Said the mix. “From the hospital, they put him in a casket, and that was it.”

Many other locals share similar stories of heartbreak and loss. Two faculty members at the Pinon School District died of coronavirus during the summer. The English teacher of the high school, Robert Labard, is a student in his class, the grandson of one of the faculty members.

“He’s a kid who is always kind of cheerful, sarcastic and has got an outgoing personality,” Labarge said. “Immediately you noticed it’s kind of gone.”

This nation has extraordinary resources

The Navajo Nation is spread over many parts of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern parts of Utah and northwestern New Mexico, covering 27,000 square miles. Remote locations make it difficult for residents to access Wi-Fi, such as Wi-Fi and running water.

U.S. Department of Disease Control and Prevention Following the guidance by the centers makes it harder for people to wash their hands, not to take a shower of water or to take a bath or shower. Staying up to date with the latest news and security information is also a challenge when Internet access is not low.

Saving the old pay generation

When people are able to see the news, residents of Navajo Nation, a senior at China High School and the daughter of Mix, like Chenoa Begay, say listening to their elderly population is a challenge.

“Most natives don’t believe what we see on TV,” Begay said. “We have an impact on our family and then we have to say oh ok, this is serious.”

Begay’s grandmother, who is Mix’s mother, is 72 years old and is having trouble listening to guidance and adjusting her routine.

“Trying hard to teach him, ‘Put your mask on mom, put on hand sanitizer,'” Mix said.

Spending time with the community and loved ones is very valuable for the Navajo Nation Reserve, so it also helps her mother understand that it is safe not to look at another.

“She loves to visit, and she loves to take visitors, and to tell us not to do that, it was life-changing for her.”

As the coronavirus flowed toward the reservation, Mix’s mother learned to accept these guidelines. Nelson also understands that following the rules is crucial because it saves precious lives. However, he acknowledged that the strict rules have left him mentally exhausted.

“It takes a toll when you’re in its thickness, when you’re in a hotspot,” Nelson said. “I think that while the reality hits you get lost in someone you know, someone who had kovida, and they were passing through.”