On March 2, 2020, a team member at the Wildhorse Resort & Casino in Pendleton, Oregon tested positive for the first documented case of Covid-19 in Indian Country. The owners of the casino, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation temporarily closed the casino the following day. Since then, the voluntary closures of tribal casinos have resulted in more than $10 billion in revenue losses. And that has led to a decrease in health care, elder programs, education, housing and other tribal services.
According to “pandemic lore,” some tribal casinos had to install locks on their doors because there been no need to lock the 24/7 operations prior to the deadly virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported as of mid-February, American Indian/Alaska Native communities have lost at least 5,307 lives to Covid-19. The deadliest period of the pandemic for Indian Country occurred during a four-week period in February, when 958 deaths occurred, according to the Color of Coronavirus project. Poor housing, lack of running water, poor roads and lack of efficient broadband have contributed to the deaths of Native Americans.
By far, the Navajo Nation has been hit hardest, with 29,857 confirmed positive Covid-19 cases, resulting in 1,198 deaths as of March 6. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said, “Despite all of the adversities, challenges and uncertainties that we have experienced over the last year, our Navajo people and frontline warriors continue to show their determination, resilience and faith. Our health care workers are working hard to get the vaccines into the arms of our people to help save lives.”
However, help is on the way, as the recently passed American Rescue Plan Act will allocate $31.2 billion to Indian Country.
