Navajo Nation Police Department enforces strict curfews, weekend lockdowns

COVID-19 has hit Navajo Nation very hard and in response the nation has taken strict measures to limit the further spread of the virus. One strategy has been 57-hour weekend lockdowns during which even essential businesses are closed. Many parts of the United States have been under various lockdown orders, but the Navajo Nation lockdowns are unique in intensity (by including essential businesses) and in the level of enforcement. From May 16-18, the seventh weekend lockdown, the Navajo Police Department issued 110 citations for curfew infractions. The penalties for violating curfew are steep—up to a $1,000 fine and/or up to 30 days in jail. #covid-19 #rural