Navajo Nation reports 16 new COVID-19 cases, 2 more deaths

The Associated Press

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation has reported 16 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths.

The latest numbers released Saturday night brought the pandemic totals on the tribe’s reservation to 30,255 cases and 1,262 known deaths.

Tribal officials had ordered a weekend lockdown over fears that a new variant could drive another deadly surge.

The Stay-At-Home order required all Navajo Nation residents to refrain from unnecessary travel to help limit the spread of the virus, including a new and more contagious strain.

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez on Tuesday announced the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 B.1.429 variant on the reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

The variant was first identified in the state of California and has since been detected across the southwest U.S.

So far, nearly 16,500 people on the Navajo Nation have recovered from COVID-19.