It’s not an exaggeration to say that over the past 18 months, the Navajo Nation was one of the areas hardest hit by the pandemic. As of this week, the tribe reported a total of more than 31,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 with 1,362 deaths attributed to the virus, according to the Navajo Department of Health.
Over the past year, however, the vast tribal area that includes land in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, has gone from having one of the highest per capita infection rates to one of the highest vaccination rates in the country. Navajo President Jonathan Nez recently said that more than 70 percent of those eligible for the vaccine have received it.
That change prompted Navajo leaders to allow a limited reopening of the Navajo Nation to tourists this month. Navajo Nation roads are now available to visitors and tribal parks are opened at 50 percent capacity. On Monday, Twin Arrows Casino Resort also reopened, which is a huge boon to our regional economy.
