Navajo Nation leaders urge NPS to keep Grand Canyon closed

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. - As many parts of Arizona begin to reopen, Navajo Nation leaders are urging National Park Service officials to keep the Grand Canyon closed due to COVID-19 fears.

The park partially reopened the South Rim on May 15, the same day governor Doug Ducey's stay-at-home order is set to expire.

"We are disappointed to see that Arizona is reopening," wrote Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez in a statement. "Our federal partners need to understand that we have a voice in how these parks impact our communities."

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The reservation has been hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with 3,632 cases and 127 total deaths as of May 14.

"We welcome the economic benefits that tourists bring, but we are also fearful of the potential negative impacts and had hoped that when the Grand Canyon closed on April 1, the park would remain closed until our positive COVID-19 number have flattened," wrote Nez.

Nez extended the nation's state of emergency to June 7 earlier this week. They are set to enter their sixth consecutive 57-hour weekend curfew in attempts to slow the spread of coronavirus.

The Navajo Nation spans the northeastern part of Arizona and stretches into the eastern portion of the Grand Canyon.

MORE: Navajo Nation president: Still not safe to go out in public amid COVID-19

"Some may say, 'Life is not without risk,' but for me and our Navajo relatives, one death is too many," wrote vice president Myron Lizer. "The Navajo Nation is not willing to risk the lives of our Diné relatives nor the lives of those visiting our beautiful lands. Even a slow phase of reopening one of the largest tourist destinations in the world will overwhelm our communities."

MAP: Arizona Coronavirus cases by zip code

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