.NNPrezNez became the Navajo Nation’s youngest president in January 2019. Then the reservation became one of the country’s early hot spots for COVID-19. Here’s how a usatodayopinion LeadersofChange led the Nation through a global pandemic.
Jonathan Nez is president of the Navajo Nation, which covers the largest land area of any indigenous people in the United States, spanning more than 27,000 miles in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
Early on, we mandated masks to be worn in public, implemented a daily curfew and weekend lockdowns which are still in effect. This was not a special formula. We simply listened to health care experts and relied on the data.We also incorporated the CDC guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic into our public health orders. The Navajo Nation facilitated and led a unified command group where all our partners met to better communicate and coordinate.
Longstanding challenges involving health and health care, water, housing and other issues played a role in how the pandemic played out on the Nation. How can these be addressed? Non-Navajo US citizens have asked how they can help the Navajo Nation. In response, we ask them to call their representatives and senators and demand there be a better relationship with tribes throughout the country. We have stood strong, not only for the Navajo Nation, but all tribes throughout the country.
Home construction is also a priority. We will soon have a housing manufacturing facility that will produce homes for our people. Currently, multiple generations live under one roof, which creates more risks for families when it comes to the spread of COVID-19. We also need the to be fully funded to provide better healthcare for all of Indian Country.The Navajo Nation has a donation section and the Health Command Operations Center, where people have volunteered and/or donated.
Jonathan Nez addresses a crowd after he was sworn in as president of the Navajo Nation in January 2019.To have someone come up to me and say,"President, you inspired me to be more physically active," is heartwarming. I say back to the people that they inspire me to fight hard for our people and all five-fingered beings, which means all of humanity.
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