NTUA is an Essential Business

 1. We must keep utilities operating so people can remain home and sheltered in place.

• Since the beginning of March, our crews have responded to water and electric outages.

• While our crews repair the water lines and reconnect electric services, we have internal staff

  members that are essential to the process, including radio dispatchers, contact center

  representatives, customer service representatives, utility planners, accounting staff, warehouse

  personnel , and information technology support. One utility job requires the support of all these

  ancillary but essential employees.

• We operate like a jigsaw puzzle. Every department fits in place to complete the entire

  organizational puzzle.

2. NTUA operates 15 watering points throughout the Nation, four of which are located at NTUA District

Offices. These water pointing require a card that can only be charged at the District Offices. We must

stay open so that our people hauling water have access to the closest watering stations.

3. Customers are also requesting utility connection or reconnection, including new internet services for

their children. These are children in K-12 and college who have to continue their education on-line.

4. Less than 50 percent of our customer base has access to the internet. Only 40 percent of our homes

have a land-line home phone. A large percentage of our customers do not have bank accounts or credit

cards. They are very uncomfortable conducting remote business transactions. Closing the offices will

cause undue stress and hardship on our customers who have no choice but to come into the District

Offices or Choice NTUA Wireless Stores (NTUAW).

5. We have to pay our bills and employees. We have to pay our electric and natural gas suppliers and

vendors for materials we need to operate our utility systems. We also pay for water for the Shiprock

region and Lechee, including the immediate surrounding area.

• Closing our offices would be a tremendous disservice to customers who are requesting these

life-essential services.

• COVID-19 has severely crushed the national, regional and local economies. We will keep our utility

business operating for the safety and health of our customers and to preserve 768 jobs.

We have implemented many policies and procedures to limit exposure to COVID-19

1. On March 16, we implemented a non-disconnect for utility customers that are affected by the

COVID-19.  We also are not charging reconnect fees or late fees for those who have to reconnect utilities.

2. We have a strict cleaning/sanitizing schedule at district offices and NTUAW Stores. Employees wipe

down offices every two hours, and offices also are professionally cleaned.

3. Social Distancing: NTUA continually updates its written guidelines concerning social distancing

requirements as new developments emerge. NTUA began encouraging social distancing as early as

March 11.

4. Reserve workforce rotation: 115 employees at a time are ordered to stay home for 15 days. This

started March 27 through the creation of NTUA COVID-19 Reserve Crews and Personnel. The reserve

teams rotate so that we have a healthy team at all times.

5. Restricted Travel: Starting March 15, NTUA suspended all travel with the exception of business-critical

travel like responding to outages. Business-critical travel beyond the Navajo Nation at this point is largely

limited to securing supplies to protect against COVID-19. NTUA employees also are not allowed to travel

beyond border towns. Beginning March 23, NTUA directed its employees that they are not to travel

beyond the border towns of the Navajo Nation, even in their non-NTUA time. This measure was taken to

both protect our employees and business and to support the Navajo Nation’s Public Health Orders.

6. Shorter work days: NTUA employees go home at 4 pm, rather than 5 pm, starting March 30, 2020. This

is to allow our employees to support their families and use the time to do what they need to do in light of

the Navajo Nation curfew.

7. Remote payments: We have been encouraging our customers to use on-line and remote payment

options, such as paying on-line, calling toll-free automated phones, using drop-boxes or direct mail.

8. Quarantine: Employees are placed on a 14-day quarantine because they may have been possibly

exposed to COVID-19. Exposure could have occurred because they traveled beyond the border towns,

have family members who were traveling, or they were possibly exposed at home or at work. We do

conduct internal investigations to determine possible point of contact with co-workers, family, relatives, or

friends.

NTUA Temporary Disconnection Policy

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic is an event that none of us have experienced and it is an event that it is evolving daily. NTUA is responding with this Temporary Policy to assist our residential customers who are directly or indirectly affected by COVID-19.

Beginning March 16, 2020, NTUA started:

• Delaying utility service disconnections for residential customers

• Waiving late fees for residential customers

• Waiving reconnection fees for residential customers

If you are a non-residential customer and you need assistance in paying your utility bills because you are directly or indirectly affected by COVID-19), please contact Customer Service at 1-800-528-5011.

 • As such, when the time comes to end this

  Temporary Policy, NTUA will provide ten (10) days’

   notice.

• This Temporary Policy may continue to evolve as the

   global pandemic continues and the global response

   continues to develop.

It is important that residential customers try to keep current on their utility bills to prevent current and future financial hardship. In order to prevent the spread of the virus, please consider paying your utility bill through the following means

• Online:   Pay online at www.ntua.com

• Phone: Pay through an automated phone number: 1-866-903-4452.

• Mail:  Pay your bill through the mail.

• Drop Box: Drop your payments into the drop box located outside of each NTUA District Office.

NTUA offices will remain open and you can continue to pay your bill in person, but we strongly encourage you to pay your bill online, by phone, or through the mail so that we are all doing our part to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Need Assistance?

If you are unable to pay your residential bill because you are affected directly or indirectly by COVID-19, please contact NTUA by:

• Calling Customer Service at 1-800-528-5011

• Sending a message here.

• Sending a message through the NTUA Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NTUAHome/

If you are a non-residential customer and you need assistance paying your utility bills because you are directly or indirectly affected by COVID-19), please contact Customer Service at 1-800-528-5011.

Need Assistance?

If you are unable to pay your residential bill because you are affected directly or indirectly by COVID-19, please contact NTUA by:

       • Calling Customer Service at 1-800-528-5011

       • Sending a message here.

          or If you would like to apply, please fill out this form. Click here

       • Sending a message through the NTUA Facebook page:

            https://www.facebook.com/NTUAHome/

Your residential utility bill will continue to state the disconnect date for non-payment. Please know that there will be no disconnections at this time for residential customers.

NTUA honors a commitment to provide and maintain reliable multi-utility services to the Navajo Nation and surrounding areas. We are closely monitoring COVID-19 updates, Navajo Nation leadership updates, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations.

NTUA respects our role as a Navajo enterprise and we are honored to serve the Navajo people.