Developing Stories: Public Health Message
Public Health Message
Chinle, Arizona, Navajo Nation, July 10, 2020
The Navajo Nation encompasses 27,000 square miles and extends into parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Many Diné must drive for hours to get to schools, grocery stores, post offices, gas stations, and medical services. Since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in March 2020, the Navajo Nation Department of Health has issued public health orders to stop the spread of the virus. This billboard, in Navajo, instructs people to wash their hands. Other orders instruct Diné to wear masks, socially distance, and stay home unless conducting essential business. In the Navajo Nation, essential business may include getting food, hauling water and firewood, feeding livestock, or driving to the hospital in an emergency.
