Navajo Nation maintains mask mandate as New Mexico drops it

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation says it will maintain a mask mandate even as the last of the states around it dropped the requirement. The tribe implemented a mask mandate early on in the pandemic to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Residents and visitors on the reservation that extends into New Mexico, Utah and Arizona are required to wear masks in public.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham made a surprise announcement Thursday to lift the state’s mask mandate.

Utah’s requirement for most public settings was short-lived. Arizona never had a statewide mask mandate.