NAVAJO NATION (KRQE) – The Navajo Department of Health announced Monday that it has identified 73 communities of uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 from Dec. 18, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2020. The following communities have been identified below:

“We have the ability to bring down the numbers through our actions each day. When we choose to travel or to hold in-person gatherings, we put ourselves and others at risk of contracting the coronavirus. Our administration is working with Navajo Area IHS to follow the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices vaccine prioritization. The health care facilities on the Navajo Nation have been vaccinating individuals in Phase I, which include health care workers, first responders, high-risk patients, and others. The next vaccination priority will be elders 65 and older. If more people receive the vaccine and now that the holidays have past, I am hopeful that we will begin to see consistent declines in new cases, but we still are awaiting to see the full impact of the recent holidays. Please be safe and make good decisions for you and your loved ones,” said Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez in a news release.

According to the same news release, President Nez, Speaker Seth Damon, several members of the 24th Navajo Nation Council, and Navajo Area IHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Loretta Christensen received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine to help boost public confidence in the vaccines.

“We appreciate everything that our health care workers are doing to fight for us and to save lives. We all have a part to play in overcoming this COVID-19 pandemic and it starts with staying home as much as possible to reduce the spread of the virus. Please be safe and continue to pray for all of our people and frontline warriors,” said Vice President Myron Lizer in the same news release.

The Navajo Nation has renewed a mandated lockdown requiring all residents to stay home and is expected to last until Jan. 11. The following is in effect for the Navajo Nation:

  • Extends the Stay-At-Home Lockdown which requires all residents to remain at home 24-hours, seven days a week, with the exceptions of essential workers that must report to work, emergency situations, to obtain essential food, medication, and supplies, tend to livestock, outdoor exercising within the immediate vicinity of your home, wood gathering and hauling with a permit.
  • Re-implements full 57-hour weekend lockdowns for two additional weekends that include: 8:00 P.M. MST through 5:00 A.M. MST on Jan. 1, 2021, through Jan. 4, 2021, and for the same hours on Jan. 8, 2021, through Jan. 11, 2021.
  • Essential businesses including gas stations, grocery stores, laundromats, restaurants and food establishments that provide drive-thru and curbside services, and hay vendors can operate from 7:00 a.m. (MST) to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday only.
  • Refrain from gathering with individuals from outside your immediate household and requiring all residents to wear a mask in public, avoid public gatherings, maintain social (physical) distancing, remain in your vehicle for curb-side and drive-through services.