Listen on demand
View on request
Navajo Nation President Buu Van Nygren has not hesitated to let it be known that he intends to lift COVID-19 mask mandates on the Navajo Nation once elected. That’s one of his crusade promises he made in his first hundred days. He kept that promise.
On Friday, Nygren signed an order lifting the last of the COVID-19 restrictions requiring masks to be worn in schools, health care services and assisted living services.
“It’s an exciting time because it shows that, as president, I’m in our other people at the local level, as I seek to empower them,” Nygren told ICT.
This resolution was not taken in haste. Since taking office, Nygren’s management has gained feedback from those establishments and establishments on what they need regarding Navajo Nation suitability mandates. According to Nygren, they sought autonomy over their own policies and procedures.
“Schools, most of them, sought to lift it because it’s very difficult to require students to use them to go to class, get to school, to all newsrooms, and it was complicated for administrators,” Nygren said. But when it comes to assisted living services, it’s up to them. I know they run their own services. Health facilities have them.
In January, Nygren lifted the indoor mask mandate for the public, with the exception of fitness services, assisted living services and schools.
Beginning in the spring of 2020, the Navajo Nation temporarily sent staff home, closed offices and non-essential businesses, imposed masks, closed its borders to visitors, and imposed curfews. This is to restrict the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
The country has become a hot spot for coronavirus cases and deaths from the pandemic.
About 170,000 more people live on the Navajo Nation, according to the U. S. Census. U. S. The Navajo Ministry of Health has reported that nearly 84,000 cases showed COVID-19 as of May 5, 2023. The country also reported 2,117 deaths.
The global pandemic has claimed nearly 7 million lives in the last 3 years, according to the World Health Organization.
On Friday, the World Health Organization decided the COVID-19 pandemic was no longer a global fitness emergency and said the virus had been trending downward since last year. May 11.
“I think I would be very hesitant if the Navajo Nation was the first organization to reopen,” Nygren said. “I would have many doubts, however, many entities around the Navajo Nation have been reopened, some of them, for more than a year. , some of them within months. For now we’re just catching up.
Rhonda Tuni, a cabinet member and head of the Navajo Health Department, supports the nation’s remaining mask mandates.
“We are very happy that, despite everything, the mask is lifted for the Navajo Nation,” Tuni said. “Keep practicing the rules, hand sanitizing and everything you’ve learned over the past three years. “
As the school year draws to a close, the mask-wearing mandate for next year has been a topic of discussion for the public across the country.
“We are very grateful to President Nygren and his staff for not necessarily lifting the mask mandate, but for making it an option for our families,” said Shannon Goodsell, superintendent of the Window Rock Unified School District. , all of our Navajo Nation mothers, the opportunity to make the most productive decision for their families to stay with their children while they are in our schools. On behalf of Navajo Nation Public Schools, we would like to thank you. »
According to the Arizona Department of Education, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Hopi Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni and White Mountain Apache Tribe are the few tribes that have a mask mandate.
Earlier this year, Nygren won a backlash over his resolution of the mask’s blanket mandate.
The reaction on Nygren’s Facebook Live to pronouncing the elevator is mixed, some other people agree, but many do not.
“I’m not here to please everybody, but I’m here to make decisions as president,” Nygren said. “I think it’s very important. You have to make decisions and move on.
WINDOW ROCK, Arizona
The Buffalo’s Fire newsletter is published at 12:00 p. m. m. CST every Wednesday. Our online news site is published through the Indigenous Alliance for Media Freedom, a non-profit media organization run by indigenous women and founded in Bismarck, North Dakota.
The Buffalo’s Fire newsletter is published at 12:00 p. m. m. CST every Wednesday. Our online news site is published through the Indigenous Alliance for Media Freedom, a non-profit media organization run by indigenous women and founded in Bismarck, North Dakota.
The Indigenous Alliance for Media Freedom-Buffalo’s Fire is a proud member of the Institute for Nonprofit News.
We are from the Trust project
that of trust
Buffalo’s Fire seeks to invite a tribal community, culture and communication.
Contact Us: jodi@imfreedomalliance. org
Subscribe to our newsletter