COVID-19 infections have spread throughout the world at an alarming rate and reports indicate that the novel coronavirus may even reach the most remote areas of the globe. While one might think that individuals living in these distant communities are protected from the virus by their geographic isolation, research indicates that this protection is merely superficial. Instead, indigenous communities are left especially vulnerable during public health crises, such as COVID-19, which only further exacerbate the inequalities endured by these populations. In the United States, several Native American communities report disproportionate high infection and mortality rates with COVID-19. Data indicates that the Navajo Nation surpassed New York State for the highest COVID-19 infection rate in the U.S.
Reports demonstrate a similar story is unfolding in Latin America’s indigenous communities. The Pan American Health Organization released a statement earlier last month announcing that Latin America is now the epicenter of the outbreak. In the Brazilian Amazon, the number of deaths from COVID-19 in their indigenous communities have risen to a total of 262 as of June 9th. As the situation escalates in Latin America, there is increasing concern for the more than 46 indigenous communities living in Madidi National Park as more than 23,000 infections and 740 deaths have been reported in Bolivia.
The COVID-19 pandemic is especially concerning to the health of the indigenous populations of Madidi National Park as these communities are geographically isolated and inherently distant from access to healthcare facilities. Additionally, there is a significant lack of healthcare providers and health insurance in these communities and traveling to regional hospitals or clinics often requires reliance on public transportation posing an additional risk of viral transmission. In the event that the pandemic reaches these remote villages, it is difficult to contain the spread given that many of these communities have minimal access to clean water, soap, personal protective equipment, and public sanitation. Furthermore, indigenous populations have high rates of pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes and hypertension that place indigenous people at higher risk of complications, and death from COVID-19.
In response to the looming threat of the pandemic, these communities are relying on traditional medicine and the knowledge from their community elders on how to treat and prevent illness/disease as well as general health maintenance. However, community elders are also the most vulnerable to infection, meaning that the pandemic could have severe cultural repercussions. Indigenous elders have a vital role in keeping and passing on their traditional knowledge, language and cultural practices within their communities. Death of an elder can be equated to losing a living library.
Until now, no specific guidelines have been established in response to the pandemic for these indigenous communities. In light of this, a team of anthropologists, doctors, and tribal leaders recently developed a protocol as part of the Tsimane Health and Life History Project (THLHP), that outlines strategies to protect the Tsimane indigenous communities living in the Beni Department, against the COVID-19 pandemic. Efforts such as these highlight the fact that these indigenous communities have taken it upon themselves to develop strategies to protect themselves from COVID-19 in the absence of support from their state institutions. In the recently published Lancet article describing the protocol, the researchers emphasized the importance of including the indigenous communities in the discussions for mitigation strategies in response to the pandemic in order to prevent devastation in the indigenous populations.
The indigenous peoples of the Bolivian lowlands have spoken out and voiced concerns that their communities should not be discriminated against or overlooked, especially in the distribution of federal and international aid for Bolivian citizens. In a recent webinar from Colectivo Salvaginas, Ruth Alipaz, a community leader and activist from San José de Uchupiamona and several other indigenous women leaders spoke about the alarming impact the pandemic is having on Bolivia’s indigenous communities. They expressed concerns regarding the pandemic affecting not only the health but general livelihood of their communities. Food security has the potential to become a major concern in these areas especially due to the fact that several industries and businesses employing indigenous community members have shut down in response to the pandemic. Current lock-down restrictions are also negatively impacting main sources of income (i.e., tourism, fishing, and agriculture) for these communities. Furthermore, for individuals living in these areas, accessing funds from local banks is exceedingly difficult given their secluded locations and also is hazardous in respect to potential viral exposure. In regard to education, concerns have been raised regarding transitions to virtual learning and subsequently, the children from these communities being put at a steep disadvantage and losing a year of schooling. Cell phone signals in these remote areas are poor and therefore, virtual learning is not a feasible option for children in these communities.
The ongoing pandemic is not only a public health concern to these indigenous populations, but an environmental threat as well. United Nations expert, José Francisco Cali Tzay reported that consultations between governments and indigenous people in relation to the environmental impacts of megaprojects such as agribusiness, mining, dams and other infrastructures have been abruptly suspended due to the ongoing pandemic. Reports indicate that gold dredging has expanded significantly over the past several months in the area of Madidi National Park. Overall there is serious concern that the decreased government surveillance and enforcement due to social distancing measures may ultimately result in greater exploitation of these indigenous territories. This may mean that the proposed Chepete-El Bala mega-dams project may be put on the table yet again under the guise of supporting economic growth in a post-COVID world. What is certain, however, is that the ongoing pandemic poses a tremendous threat to the survival of indigenous communities around the world.