(NEW YORK) — The Navajo community suffered one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates per capita in the country just three months ago but with the implementation of strict public health measures such as curfews and mandatory mask-wearing, Navajo Nation has curbed the spread of coronavirus.
Overall, the number of coronavirus cases have declined in the Navajo community. The latest figures from the Navajo Department of Health, in coordination with the Navajo Epidemiology Center and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service, reported 19 new COVID-19 positive cases, 6,893 recoveries and no recent deaths, according to a press release from the office of the president and vice president of Navajo Nation.
Jonathan Nez, who was elected president of the tribal nation in 2018, implemented a lockdown order in April to curb the rising number of COVID-19 cases within the Navajo community.
“We have had curfews and we still have curfews today because we’re not letting down. There’s no vaccine,” President Nez told ABC News’ Nightline. “There’s no cure for COVID 19. So we’re not going to let down here.”
In addition to having 57 weekend curfews, tribal governments are working to improve access to water for many residents by allocating funds from the CARES Act into the community to get needed infrastructure.
“Our people are hauling water … most of the time they’re getting their water for their livestock and [it] leaves a little bit for drinking and even personal hygiene,” said President Nez. “And so if we can get running water to our families, that could really accelerate the push back on COVID-19 here on the Navajo Nation.”
An estimated 30% of people who live on the Navajo reservations do not have access to running water and turn to outdoor pumps to get their supply.
The lack of accessibility makes it more difficult to fulfill the constant handwashing necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A grassroots effort called the Navajo and Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund has been working to combat these disparities by distributing food, water and other essential needs to the most vulnerable in the community since March.
“We’ve provided food and some PPE to over 80,000 households,” said Cassandra Begay, communications director for the Navajo and Hopi Families Relief Fund.
In community hotspots where COVID-19 positive cases surged a few months ago, the grassroots effort provided COVID positive kits which included tents, cots, food and medicine. These kits allowed community members who tested positive for coronavirus to recover in isolation without increasing the risk of infecting other family members in multigenerational homes.
Although COVID-19 cases in the Navajo community are on the decline, precautions are still being taken to ensure that a resurgence does not occur in the next few months.
“We can’t afford for this virus to continue devastating our communities,” said Begay. “We can’t wait for the government to save us, our grassroots effort just speaks to the power in people and humans to do something for ourselves.”
(NEW YORK) — A community college in Ohio has had no reported cases of COVID-19 traced to the school since reopening for in-person classes three months ago.
As of Wednesday, the school, Stark State College, said it hasn’t had any confirmed cases across its multiple locations.
The news is somewhat surprising, as most college campuses have not been free of the virus this summer. A New York Times report, looking at a mix of public and private four-year universities, found that at least 6,600 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were traced to about 270 colleges during the pandemic. One notable outbreak occurred in the University of Washington’s Greek Row.
Stark State, which has a main campus in Canton, has implemented a range of protocols to operate with a limited number of students and staff on campus during the pandemic. An overview of their measures and other school factors demonstrate the number of variables that go into safely reopening schools.
‘A measured approach, and then some’
For Stark State, the goal has been to take “a measured approach, and then some,” Marisa Rohn, vice president of advancement, human resources and partnerships at Stark State, told ABC News.
“We know we’re not immune,” Rohn said. “Our hope is to mitigate that and take these measured approaches that really limit that risk.”
Building off safety and response protocols the school had originally created for H1N1, Stark State has also worked with the local health departments in the counties that it serves, referred to guidelines from the governor and state health department and regularly monitors Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.
“We have gone point-by-point down the governor’s RestartOhio plan for higher education and ensured that we meet, or in most cases exceed, those guidelines for return to the classroom protocols,” Rohn said.
For instance, temperature scans — which the state guidelines do not list as a requirement for returning students — are conducted at all entrances. The school has also required that anyone on campus wear a facial covering since it reopened for in-person learning in early May. (The initial state guidance recommended students wear masks, and last month it became a statewide mandate.) The school also regularly cleans its air filtration systems, a protocol that is not listed among the state guidelines.
Social distancing and sanitization
The summer semester features a smaller on-campus population in general, with about 80% of students online already, Rohn said. For in-person classes, the school has prioritized classes that require hands-on learning, including commercial drivers license, automotive and health care programs. A little more than 750 students have been to school in person this summer across two campuses and automotive and commercial drivers license locations.
The school has deployed several measures to promote social distancing. There are fewer entrances, to better manage foot traffic as well as conduct health screenings. Class times are staggered throughout the day to limit the arrival and departure of students and at any given time. Class sizes have ranged from 10 to 12 students, with an even smaller number in the commercial drivers license program. (Training in the truck went from a student-instructor ratio of 4:1 to 1:1.)
In common areas and computer labs, seating is roped or marked off to enable a six-foot distance. The cafeteria capacity was cut in half.
The school has also ramped up sanitizing protocols. Hand sanitizing stations are located at all entrances and throughout the campuses. Classrooms are sanitized after each use, including door handles, counters and tables and students are provided cleaning wipes.
Signage at each entrance gives a rundown of the school’s safety protocols, as well as a list of COVID-19 symptoms. If someone forgets a mask, there is a supply of facial coverings available, and they are for sale in the bookstore. Should someone become sick, the school will isolate them in a designated area until they can be brought to a clinic or hospital.
Social distancing and sanitizing measures also apply to the school’s employees: Faculty and staff rotate on-campus shifts, plexiglass separators have been installed in offices and cleaning supplies are accessible to all.
Protocols in place
Stark State has established protocols should a student or staff member test positive for COVID-19, is notified of exposure or needs to be tested. The school would collaborate with the health department in the county in which the person resides, which would conduct contact tracing and advise the school on quarantining.
So far, the school has had a few reported exposures of staff members off campus who were asked to self-quarantine and monitor symptoms, Rohn said. Should it be notified by a county health department of any confirmed cases linked to its campuses, the school has to notify the public on its website.
“We are prepared, we have our protocols in place,” Rohn said. “For us, it’s that balancing act. We really need to keep our teaching and learning mission in the forefront, but we also need to keep people safe.” Monitoring community spread
The Ohio health department monitors COVID-19 spread using a four-level system based on seven different indicators — such as new cases, hospital admissions and ICU bed occupancy — that’s updated weekly for each county. The counties that Stark State’s campuses are in — Stark and Summit — are both in the second level, meaning there’s increased exposure and spread and residents should exercise a “high degree of caution.” In one indicator, Stark has just above 50 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents, while Summit has 75. The counties surrounding Stark and Summit are in the first, second or third levels.
Low community spread is key in reopening schools, health experts say.
“If you don’t have a lot of community spread, then the chances are it’s less likely that you’re going to be seeing a lot of cases in the schools,” said Dr. Simone Wildes, an infectious diseases physician at South Shore Health in southeastern Massachusetts and an ABC News contributor.
The fact that a majority of the college’s enrollees are part-time — about 72% — may also help with a staggered schedule of students on campus.
The community college also doesn’t have dorms or athletics: two key concerns with reopening colleges.
“You don’t have people in the dorms, people in close quarters — that’s something they have going in their favor,” Wildes said.
Stark State’s fall semester starts Aug. 31, at which point it’s expected about a third of students will be fully online, a third will be fully in-person and a third will be doing a hybrid, officials said. Annually, the school typically serves around 15,000 students.
Having more people on campus this fall will put their new protocols to the test.
“On a small scale, I think most people are able to manage things very well,” Wildes said. “But as we expand the numbers, then things get a lot harder to control.”
(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) — An Illinois school district is banning students from wearing pajamas during remote schooling — a move making some parents unhappy.
The specific guidance comes from Springfield School District’s 2020-2021 student and family handbook. The handbook states that pajama pants are not allowed in school and extended the policy to remote learning.
Director of school support Jason Wind told members of the Springfield Public Schools Board of Education, “We don’t need students in pajamas and all those other things while on their Zoom conferences,” during a recorded Zoom meeting.
“Everyone in the committee felt that was an important portion to this to make a change and state that very specifically,” he said.
As fall classes are slated to begin Aug. 31, some parents have spoken out about their concerns over the dress code policy.
Emily Parkinson, a fourth grade special education teacher based in Chicago tweeted, “This makes me angry. There’s a global pandemic, many parents have lost jobs, kids are doing the best they can to cope … and they’re going to be disciplined for what they wear … in their own home? Come on, Illinois.”
A woman from Arizona tweeted, “Why are schools so hell-bent on telling kids what to wear then swear up and down they can’t make kids wear masks on campus?” Her tweet received over 10,000 likes and more than 500 retweets.
The district has affirmed that it does not intend to be punitive or to prescribe what students wear at home during remote learning during such uncertain times.
Hankins’ statement also points out that the district is appreciative of the input and attention that has been given to their handbook, and they are open to making the guideline more supportive and inclusive.
The Springfield School District has about 14,000 students and plans to kick the school year off with a hybrid program in which students will attend in-person classes two days a week.
Eric Espada/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Jake Paul is finally speaking out about why the FBI raided his home last week.
In a since-deleted YouTube video, the 23-year-old internet star slammed the “absurd” rumors he’s heard regarding the incident.
“Just to clarify things and set the record straight, the FBI raid is entirely related to the Arizona looting situation that had happened and it’s an investigation,” Paul said. “There are rumors about it having to do with so many other things that have nothing to do with me or my character and the s*** that people are making up is absolutely absurd.”
“That being said, when I become aware of someone around me who is doing malicious things they are immediately cut out of my life. I don’t put up with bulls***, I don’t surround myself with bad people. If someone does something bad, they will be removed from my life,” he continued.
“My goal right now is to continue to focus on my life, myself, boxing, music,” the YouTuber added.
As previously reported, ABC News confirmed that FBI agents obtained a search warrant and raided Paul’s home located in Calabasas, California on August 5.
At the time, a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement, “The FBI is executing a federal search warrant at a residence in Calabasas in connection with an ongoing investigation. The affidavit in support of the search warrant is sealed and we are, therefore, prohibited from commenting as to the nature of the investigation. No arrests are planned.”
Broken BowLindsay Ell‘s sophomore album, heart theory, arrives Friday, and the co-writer of her latest single, Kane Brown, had his own theory about what might be missing in her repertoire.
“I basically just said, ‘You need to have that bad girl attitude that Carrie Underwood used to have, ‘Before He Cheats’ and all that. And, you know, Miranda Lambert used to have,'” Kane reveals. “Back then, they were basically doing what the guys are doing today. Just saying, like ‘You need me,’ basically. I was like, ‘You just need to have that attitude.'”
By the time “wAnt me back” was finished, Kane was ready to record it himself.
“I ended up loving the song and I told her, I was like, ‘If you don’t cut this, I’ll cut it. I’m gonna have to change some lyrics, but I’ll do it,'” he recalls.
To celebrate her second album, the Canadian chart-topper has planned a pretty ambitious event: an entire day, live on the internet.
“I’m starting Thursday at midnight Eastern, so 11 p.m. Central,” Lindsay tells ABC Audio, “and then going to Friday at 11 p.m. Central. It’s going to be a very long day.”
“I’m going to have my band come probably, and we’ll jam a bit,” she explains. “I’m gonna be interviewing guests. Basically, I want to showcase [the album for] every time zone around the world.”
“I’m gonna be maybe taking a nap,” she smiles, “maybe eating, making food. I don’t know what we’re gonna do. I have 24 hours to fill. So if you have any ideas, let me know.”
Lindsay’s currently up for two ACM trophies on the strength of her number-one single with Brantley Gilbert, “What Happens in a Small Town.”
Kane’s new EP, Mixtape Vol. 1, comes out Friday as well.
grandriver/iStockBy KIARA BRANTLEY-JONES, ABC News
