Native US tribes enforce mask mandates regardless of state bans

Washington, Sep 1 (Prensa Latina) Native US tribes across the handful of US states with bans on school mask mandates have asserted their power as sovereign nations to defy the orders, local media reported. Some also implement their own testing and vaccine directives for tens of thousands of students and teachers in schools on their reservations as Covid-19 cases surge.

September 1, 2021
07:20

According to The Guardian newspaper, State leaders in Oklahoma, Utah, Arizona, Iowa and South Carolina have implemented bans on mask mandates in schools.

Under the US Constitution, federally recognized tribes, such as the Navajo Nation and the Cherokee Nation, have self-governing authority, and so have been able to implement mask mandates despite the statewide bans.

The Navajo Nation, the country’s largest tribe, reaffirmed a mask mandate at the beginning of August for the 133 schools with students from preschool to 12th grade, on its reservation, covering over 27,000 square miles in Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.

The Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said students and staff have diligently followed the requirement. As of last week, there has been no evidence of Covid-19 spread within the schools so far this school year, he said.

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