Native American communities hit hard by COVID-19 pandemic

Native Americans communities have been among the hardest hit in the U.S. by the coronavirus, limiting a primary source of revenue and infecting members at a high rate.

Nearly 500 tribal casinos have shut down amid the COVID-19 scare, according to the New York Times. And more than 40 percent of the 574 federally recognized tribes run casinos, the news outlet reports.

The Cherokee Nation is expecting to reopen parts of its gaming industry next month, though the plan, like that of most other U.S. operations, depends on what happens next in the pandemic.

“I think it would be irresponsible of us to open the doors and go back to exactly the way we were,” tribe spokesman Brandon Scott told The Times. “Tomorrow if we saw a huge spike in incidents in the state of Oklahoma, our plan would change dramatically.”

But the damage is not limited to the financial realm. The Navajo Nation's death rate reportedly exceeds the rate in every state besides the top four – New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts and the Navajo Nation has more COVID-19 cases per capita in the than any U.S. state.

The New Mexico Department of Health reports that 57.2 percent of the state's coronavirus cases have been among those categorized as American Indian/Alaska Native.

In South Dakota two tribes set up coronavirus checkpoints on federal and state highways.

Gov. Kristi Noem said that the checkpoints are not legal and she warned of escalating the issue to federal court. However, she appears to have deescalated the situation, writing in a letter to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe chairman that the government would accept checkpoints on tribal or Bureau of Indian Affairs roadways.