Window Rock, Ariz. • Navajo Nation officials are reporting 50 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one additional death as the tribe prepares for another weekend lockdown.
The total of infected tribal members on the reservation stood at 8,734 with 432 known deaths as of Thursday.
Health officials said 75,775 people have undergone testing and 6,481 have recovered from the virus.
The weekend lockdown, which includes the closing of businesses, will begin at 8 p.m. Friday and last until 5 a.m. Monday. The tribe also has implemented daily and nighttime curfews.
Residents of the reservation that extends into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah have also been under a mandate to wear masks when out in public.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said officials are working on an order that would require residents who travel to areas known as hot spots for coronavirus infections to quarantine for 14 days when they return to the reservation.
Nez signed an executive order Wednesday to keep parts of the tribal government closed through mid-August, citing surges of coronavirus cases off the reservation.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.
But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
