Workers urged not to travel to areas affected by virus
WINDOW ROCK
To date, no one on the Navajo Nation has contracted the coronavirus, or COVID-19, according to the Navajo Nation Department of Health.
But the possibility that the virus could affect a Navajo citizen is very real – especially if they travel to areas where the virus has infected people.
The president’s office has issued a travel advisory to Navajo Nation executive branch employees stating that they should limit travel to states where the virus has appeared as well as internationally.
The virus has so far killed 12 people, most of them from the Seattle area. A California citizen became the first in the state to become a victim of the virus.
So far, the states of Arizona, California, Washington, Illinois, Massachusetts and Wisconsin have confirmed cases of the virus.
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Worldwide, the virus has taken more than 3,000 lives.
In February, United Navajo Health Service, a small clinic in Montezuma Creek, Utah, reported they were monitoring two people who had traveled to China.
Byron Clarke, chief operating officer of the clinic, said the two patients showed no signs of the virus and were released.
The virus, which usually begins with a fever, cough and shortness of breath, takes 2 to 14 days before a person realizes they are sick.
The CDC recommends anyone who thinks they’ve contracted the virus to call a doctor and inform them where you traveled and who you were in contact with.
On Wednesday, the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill, which would provide $8.3 billion to fight the virus, was approved by the U.S. House. The allocation of funds could begin within 30 days if the bill is signed by President Donald Trump.
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow