Navajo Nation struggles to escape the corona virus

Lack of government support

Finan High School principal Timothy Nelson believes there are many reasons for Niazo Nation’s high epidemic, including the lack of support from the federal and state governments.

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

He found no evidence that the government had helped Pinon or the surrounding cities to fight the epidemic.

“It illuminates me,” Nelson said. “We call ourselves America. We help other countries, but we don’t really help our own people.”

In Navajo, 38% of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. This is more than double the US poverty rate of 15.1% from the 2010 census.

At Pinon High School, which is run by the state, more than 98% of its students are eligible for the free or reduced lunch program, compared to the state average of 55%.

As the infection rate increased, Nelson said he was afraid to ask people how they were because they would find out that someone in their family had passed away.

She was unable to attend a funeral

Beverly Mix, a mother of four who lives 15 miles east of Pinnacle, said her cousin had died of the virus and she had never said goodbye. He said only immediate family members could attend the funeral and he was not allowed to see his body.

“What if they want to put things in the coffin?” Mix said. “From the hospital, they put him in the coffin, that’s all.”

Many locals share stories like heartbeat and loss. Two faculty members in the Pinon school district died of the corona virus over the summer. Robert LaBorge, an English teacher in high school, has a student in his class who is the grandson of one of the faculty members.

“He’s always been a very enthusiastic, teasing kid, and he has an outgoing personality,” Labarge said. “You immediately noticed that it was kind of gone.”

There are scarce resources in this country

Navajo Nation covers most of northeastern Arizona, southeastern parts of Utah, and 27,000 square miles throughout northwestern New Mexico. The remote location makes it difficult for city dwellers to access facilities such as WiFi and running water.

When people do not have running water to wash their hands or shower or bathe, it becomes difficult to follow the guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Staying up to date with the latest news and security information is also a challenge when internet access is limited.

Saves the older generation

If people can see the news, Navajo Nation residents like Senowa Begum, a senior at Cinley High School and the daughter of Mix, say listening to their older people is a challenge.

“Most Native, we don’t believe what we see on TV,” Peke said. “It has to affect our family and then we have to say ‘Oh well, this is serious.’

Mix’s mother, Pecain’s grandmother, is 72 years old and has difficulty listening to guidance and adjusting her routine.

“I tried hard to teach her to wear your mask and put on hand cleanser,” Mix said.

Spending time with the community and loved ones at the Navajo Nation reservation is so valuable, so it has also been a struggle to help her mother understand that it is safe not to see others.

“She wants to go visit, she wants to have an audience. We tell her not to do that, it changed her life,” Mix said.

When she passed the corona virus reservation, Mix’s mother learned to follow these guidelines. It is important to follow Nelson’s rules because it saves precious lives. However, he admitted that the harsh terms made him mentally exhausted.

“When you’re at its thickness, when you’re at a hotspot, it takes a number,” Nelson said. “When reality strikes, when you lose someone you know, someone who had Govt., I think that’s what they did.”