Despite the success of Indian gaming and the contributions of other industry sectors to tribal economies, the overarching economic picture for AIAN remained challenged even before the onset of the pandemic. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 23.7 percent of AIAN live in poverty. The average household income amongst AIAN was $44,772 in 2018, with a per capita income of $20,709. Over 54 percent of AIAN households have income levels below $50,000. Approximately 22.6 percent of AIAN households require food stamp/SNAP assistance. Over 19 percent of AIAN do not have health insurance coverage. The digital divide between urban and rural, poor and rich, is even more pronounced in Indian country. According to the Center for Indian Country Development, only 61 percent of households on Indian reservations have access to broadband internet. This compares to 69 percent nationwide. Even the surrounding communities in areas that boarder reservations have higher broadband coverage at 70 percent despite often being considered rural areas themselves. Indeed, census data indicates that nearly 12 percent of AIAN do not even have a computer. Lack of computer and broadband access is especially challenging during a time when shopping, education and interpersonal communications with extended family and friends is restricted to the internet in many cases. INITIAL IMPACTS Indian country has been affected by the pandemic along with the rest of the United States and the world. According to a tracking websheet maintained by the publication “Indian Country Today,” a total of 4,912 confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been reported to the Indian Health Service as of May 14 th with 151 deaths. The Navajo Nation has been particularly hard hit, accounting for 102 or over two-thirds of the total deaths from the virus in Indian Country. However, the virus has spread throughout Indian country, with infections amongst Native Americans in nearly all states that have reservations within their boundaries. In some cases, tribes have taken more stringent safety precautions than their surrounding states. Two South Dakota tribes have been threatened with lawsuits by the state governor for erecting checkpoints on highways at the entrances to their reservations and imposing restrictions on visitors to prevent spread within their boundaries. Other tribes have taken similar measures. As already mentioned, every Indian casino in the country closed to mitigate the spread of the virus. This is a huge blow to the industry and to the proceeds tribes depend upon to help fund government services and member incomes. Because of the importance of Indian gaming to tribal government revenue and tribal economies, the restrictions on tourist and leisure businesses have hit tribes disproportionally. Most of the closures occurred during the month of March and only very recently have a handful of casinos begun a cautious reopening.
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