Legislative branch closed due to COVID-19 spread
WINDOW ROCK
The Navajo Nation’s legislative branch shut down due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, Communications Director Alray Nelson told Navajo Times Friday morning.
Legislative offices in Window Rock will be closed to the public for an indefinite period and buildings will be sanitized.
“Speaker Damon has ordered that all offices under the legislative branch be thoroughly cleaned,” said Nelson. “This is a precaution to keep our staff and their families safe at all times. So we will be working remotely.”
All Navajo Nation Council meetings like the special session today will continue via teleconference.
Council’s winter session is planned for the week starting Jan. 24, said Nelson.
Driven by the Omicron variant, which was identified on the Navajo Nation on Monday, COVID-19 cases jumped to 294 on Thursday – a quadrupling of weekly average cases reported one week prior.
“The Council and Speaker Damon are concerned with the new variant and the rapid spread across Navajo,” said Nelson. “We’ve seen those numbers increase.
“We need to make sure our staff, the delegates and family members are kept safe over the next two weeks as we go into winter session,” he said.
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Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow