Tribal police issued more than 170 citations during the Navajo Nation's 57-hour curfew over Easter weekend, officials told The Arizona Republic.

The curfew announced April 6 was in effect between 8 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday to "help fight the spread of COVID-19," according to a press release. It was later dubbed the "Navajo Nation Family Prayer Weekend" in observance of Good Friday and Easter over the weekend.

"The Navajo people have endured many hardships and sacrifices throughout history, but we continue to stand strong with our faith, prayers and teachings of our elders," Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said before the start of the weekend. "As resilient people, we know our prayers are heard and answered. This weekend, may our beliefs and values bring us together and plant the seeds of hope and restoration," he continued.

No other entity in Arizona has implemented this kind of curfew. It was a dramatic move many felt was necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19, which has already killed at least 22 of its more than 250,000 members.

More than 170 citations issued during curfew

Aside from essential employees with official identification and people with emergencies, Navajo Nation residents were ordered to stay home over the weekend. Anyone who violated the tribe's curfew order could be issued citations, including a fine up to $1,000 and/or 30 days in jail, officials previously announced.

The Navajo Police Department enforced the tribe's 57-hour curfew by setting up checkpoints in various communities and issuing citations to violators, according to tribe spokesperson Jared Touchin. The department issued 119 traffic citations and 58 criminal nuisance citations between Friday and Sunday, he told The Republic.

It's unclear how the Navajo Nation defines traffic and criminal nuisance citations.

However, Traffic citations can vary in severity from speeding and driving without insurance to driving under the influence. State law defines criminal nuisance as someone who "recklessly creates or maintains a condition which endangers the safety or health of others."

The tribe's leaders stated in a Facebook post last Friday that the Navajo Nation's nightly curfew would be in effect until further notice. The curfew, which has been in effect since March 30, requires Navajo Nation residents to stay home between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. every day.

Officials haven't said whether the curfew will continue next weekend.

Dramatic drop in traffic

Touchin said many communities saw a dramatic decrease in traffic and people in public on the Navajo Nation during the weekend-long curfew.

The Navajo Nationhas more than 250,000 members and spans over 27,000 miles across three states -- Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. It weaves throughout the northwestern corner of Arizona, neighboring Hopi tribal land near Tuba City and the communities of Page, Grand Canyon National Park, Flagstaff and Winslow.

Several law enforcement agencies that are within or neighbor the Navajo Nation said they did not assist the tribe with enforcement of the curfew over the weekend.

Winslow Police Department Chief Daniel Brown said the agency received numerous phone calls from confused people inquiring about the tribe's curfew, but that the agency was not involved in any way.

He explained that many of Winslow's residents are members of the Navajo Nation. Additionally, many of the tribe's members shop in neighboring border towns — Winslow, Page and Gallup — due to a limited amount of resources on Navajo land.

The Navajo Nation curfew only applied only to residents living on tribal land and not tribal members who live in neighboring non-tribal communities.

According to Brown, the department witnessed no checkpoints or any other type of enforcement from the Navajo Nation in relation to its curfew, but noted that Winslow is "far removed" from the Navajo Nation. The closest Navajo Nation communities to Winslow are Dilkon and Leupp, which are at least 30 miles away.

"We've seen very little impact," he said. "In fact, we had a lot of shoppers over the weekend into our stores."

Native Americans in Arizona disproportionately hit by coronavirus

A few hours before the curfew began Friday, Navajo Nation officials announced the number of known COVID-19 cases jumped to 597 with 22 deaths.

The number of COVID-19 cases increased by 101 with two additional deaths the next day, totaling 698 and 24 deaths.

Until Monday evening, the Navajo Nation had not publicly updated its number of known COVID-19 cases since the evening of April 11. Touchin explained that the tribe's epidemiology team spent the Easter holiday with their families.

Monday's data included cases not reported by the tribe on Sunday, officials said.

The Navajo Nation had 813 known COVID-19 cases as of Monday evening — an increase of 115 positive cases over the last two days, a press release said. There were 28 confirmed COVID-19 related deaths, according to the press release.

But that doesn't mean the curfew didn't work. A curfew or stay-at-home order is intended to prevent people from gathering in groups and being exposed to the virus and, if they were, it can take up to 14 days to present symptoms. Also, Nez told The Republic that its data on the number of cases is typically 48 hours old.

"It's pretty disheartening," Nez said. "But we're doing our very best here on the Navajo Nation to slow down this virus; the ultimate goal is to stop it."

Nez said the tribe was considering implementing another extended curfew in the future.

According to data released by the Arizona Department of Health Services Sunday, Native Americans, older people and men are dying in disproportionate numbers in Arizona from COVID-19.

Native Americans made up 16% of those who have died from COVID-19, among the cases for which race and ethnicity were known. The state said race is unknown for 63% of the coronavirus cases and 48% of those who have died.

Reach the reporter at chelsea.curtis@arizonarepublic.com or follow her on Twitter @curtis_chels.

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