Navajo Nation Reports One Death, 105 New Cases Of COVID-19
May 26, 2020, 4:34 PM | Updated: 4:49 pm
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – The Navajo Nation Department of Health reported one new death due to coronavirus, bringing the number of people who have succumbed to the virus to 157.
There are now 4,794 cases of COVID-19 on the reservation with more than 1,400 people reported as recovered.
The Navajo Nation has been a top hot spot for the spread of the disease. A portion of the reservation is in San Juan County in Utah’s Four Corners area.
Navajo Leaders have imposed 57-hour curfews from Friday evenings through Monday mornings for the past seven consecutive weekends.
Navajo Nation cases by Service Unit:
- Chinle Service Unit: 1,169
- Crownpoint Service Unit: 503
- Ft. Defiance Service Unit: 236
- Gallup Service Unit: 834
- Kayenta Service Unit: 746
- Shiprock Service Unit: 774
- Tuba City Service Unit: 418
- Winslow Service Unit: 83
*31 residences are not specific enough to place them accurately in a Service Unit
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said, “The curve is flattening on the Navajo Nation, even as we test aggressively. 14.6-percent of our citizens have been tested so far. The Navajo Nation continues to test at a higher rate per capita than any state in the country. Testing, contact tracing, and the public health orders that were implemented months ago requiring protective masks in public and weekend lockdowns are working and flattening the curve.”
Nez added, “When you look at the projections that were provided in March and compare them to numbers that we have, we are actually doing much better than the projections.”
Vice President Myron Lizer offered encouragement to tribal members, “Continue to stay home, practice social distancing, and pray and the numbers will decrease gradually. This is not the time to let up. We can’t give up and we have to keep fighting hard to overcome the virus. The numbers are high, but it’s great to see that overall, the rate of new cases is flattening.”