Navajo Nation once ravaged by COVID-19 now helping out India
NAVAJO NATION - The Navajo Nation, one of the hardest-hit places in the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic, is giving back as it continues to recover.
Navajo Nation is nearing herd immunity and that's allowing them to help out India, which is in the middle of their second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez says when they were in dire need of support others helped the nation and now it's time to give back.
"Sending homemade cloth masks to the people of India. There has been an outpouring of support during the middle of the pandemic. We appreciate many friends who helped the Navajo Nation," Nez says.
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He adds, "With such low numbers in our communities of COVID cases, we want to do the same we had early on. The nation of Ireland, who donated resources to the nation because of the slowness from the government to send relief to us, but we managed to get through and now we have low numbers."
Nez says the donations to the middle eastern country is a community effort.
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"We have individuals who have brought masks that they made from home. We also have Navajo Nation government developing so we have a stockpile of masks. So what we're seeing is that there's a lot of need there, so we'll continue to make masks here. We have low numbers on the nation and plenty of masks so what better way to help another nation by doing the same as others have done to the Navajo Nation," Nez says.
After a tumultuous year, the nation is well on its way of reaching herd immunity.
"No matter where you are, COVID can come into your homes and it really took advantage of our people and our strengths. To have multiple generations of family members living under one roof and boy did it spread like wildfire," Nez says.
He says they will be giving the protective gear to the embassy and then getting it over to India.
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