WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – The Navajo Nation on Friday reported additional COVID-19 cases and ordered a weekend lockdown over fears that a new variant could drive another deadly surge.
“The Stay-At-Home order is reinstated to help lessen the spread of COVID-19 and the variants here on the Navajo Nation. Two weeks ago, we had one day with zero reported cases and today, we have 26 new cases,” Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said.
The order requires all Navajo Nation residents to refrain from unnecessary travel to help limit the spread of the virus, including a new and more contagious strain.
“Think of all the sacrifices that our front-line warriors have made for us all,” Nez said. “Stay home as much as possible, wear a mask, practice social distancing, avoid large in-person gatherings and wash your hands often.”
Nez announced the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 B.1.429 variant on the Navajo Nation on Tuesday. The variant was first identified in California and has since been detected across the Southwest.
No additional deaths were reported Friday.
The latest confirmed cases bring the pandemic totals on the tribe’s reservation, which includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, to 30,30,239. The current death toll remains at 1,260.
So far, nearly 16,500 people on the Navajo Nation have recovered from COVID-19.
