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AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NAVAJO-NATION
Navajo Nation orders masks be worn in public on reservation
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation is ordering all people on the tribe’s sprawling reservation to wear protective masks when out in public to help fight the spread of the coronavirus. Tribal officials announced Friday night that the Navajo Department of Health issued an emergency health order for the reservation, which includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The Navajo Nation has been hit harder by the coronavirus than any other Native American tribe. The tribe and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service said the number of positive coronavirus tests reached 1,127 as of Friday with 44 deaths attributed to COVID-19. Tribal resident Jonathan Nez said officials would “continue to consider even more aggressive requirements to help bring the numbers down.”
NAVAJO NATION-BROADBAND
US grants Navajo Nation authority to use unassigned airwaves
PHOENIX (AP) — The federal government is giving the Navajo Nation temporary authority to use unassigned airwaves to provide wireless broadband service. The Federal Communications Commission on Friday granted the requested authority for 60 days to help the tribe’s emergency response to the coronavirus outbreak. The commission says the authority should help the tribe as reservation residents work from home and increasingly rely on telemedicine and remote learning. Many residents in remote areas without broadband service sit in vehicles parked near local government centers, fast-food restaurants and grocery stores to connect to Wi-Fi.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-IDAHO PROTEST
Hundreds defy Idaho's stay-at-home order at Capitol protest
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — More than 1,000 protesters gathered at the Idaho Statehouse Friday afternoon in defiance of Gov. Brad Little’s extension of the statewide stay-at-home order. Little announced Wednesday that the order would extend to the end of April in the effort to slow the spread of coronavirus. In response, members of libertarian, gun-rights and anti-vaccine groups gathered at Capitol waving flags and holding signs in an effort to push back against the order. Many were standing shoulder-to-shoulder and few were wearing masks. Similar protests have been held across the country, in states like Virginia, Texas and Oregon.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
Navajos cancel legislative session amid coronavirus outbreak
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Lawmakers on the Navajo Nation have canceled their spring legislative session amid an outbreak of coronavirus that has kept them away from the tribal capital. They called in remotely Friday for a special session where they approved the measure. The legislative branch cited the difficulty in getting everyone who plays a part in the session to participate from afar. The Navajo Nation Council usually meets quarterly in Window Rock for weeklong sessions. The spring session was scheduled to start Monday. The virus has spread fiercely through the Navajo Nation, hitting it harder than any other Native American tribe.
AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ONE-GOOD-THING-SKI-WORKERS
Foreign ski workers stranded by virus get helping hand
MARSHFIELD, Vt. (AP) — U.S. ski areas employ thousands of international college students each year to fill seasonal jobs during what is their summer break. Many of them made it home before travel restrictions were imposed amid the coronavirus outbreak but some weren't so lucky. Now about 1,500 from Latin America are still here, with some stranded at various resorts. In Vermont, about 23 foreign workers mostly from Peru are stranded at Jay Peak Resort. While they wait to get home, the resort is delivering them weekly groceries and providing them housing in condos for free and working to get them on last-minute flights home.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-UTAH
Utah governor aims to reopen restaurants, gyms in early May
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert says the state is aiming to reopen restaurants and gyms and resume elective surgeries in early May under a plan to gradually reopen the economy that has been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic. Herbert, a Republican, said at a news conference Friday that the state’s plan that had been in the work for weeks mirrors guidelines sent out by President Donald Trump on Thursday. He cautioned that the plan is dependent on continued adherence to social distancing. Utah has nearly 2,700 confirmed cases and 21 known deaths.
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