The Navajo Nation will be under a curfew once again this weekend as COVID-19 cases there spread at an uncontrolled pace.
New daily cases on the Navajo Nation are reaching levels not seen since early June. The Navajo Department of Health reported 112 new cases Thursday. In total, the reservation of fewer than 200,000 residents has reported more than 12,000 positive cases since the start of the pandemic.
President Jonathan Nez says much of the recent spread appears to be from people traveling off the Nation to Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, where cases are also rising.
“The trajectory that we see now going up is similar to the United States. And that is why we are putting some more curfews in place,” Nez said.
Nez is encouraging Navajo Nation residents to limit travel on and off the reservation.
“If you leave the Nation, you’ve got to self-quarantine and you’ve got to take a test. And if you live off the Navajo Nation, the best thing to do is just please stay at your home off the Nation,” Nez said.
