The Navajo Nation has reinstated its “Stay at Home” order as well as a 57-hour weekend lockdown.
While coronavirus case numbers were on a downward trend in August, the Navajo Nation discontinued its Stay at Home order and enacted a Safer at Home order instead.
This encouraged people to “exercise personal responsibility” but did not require residents to stay at home.
According to the Navajo Nation, recent family gatherings and travel off of the reservation has resulted in a spike of COVID-19 cases.
“The Navajo Nation is experiencing a rise in positive COVID-19 cases, including over 40 confirmed positive cases in the Sage Memorial Hospital service area and close to a dozen positive cases in the satellite chapters in the Eastern Navajo Agency,” the order says. “These cluster cases are a direct result of family gatherings and off-Reservation travel. They also have the potential to lead to an outbreak and another surge in cases on the Navajo Nation.”
As a result, the Navajo Nation has reinstated its Stay at Home order for at least the next seven days.
The Stay at Home order means individuals can leave their place of residence only to perform "Essential Activities" which primarily include activities and tasks essential to health, safety, and welfare. They’re also encouraged to avoid groups of more than five people.
A lockdown will also be in effect from 8 p.m. on Friday, September 25, until 5 a.m. Monday, September 28.
Visitors are also not allowed to travel to the Navajo Nation at this time.
So far more than 10,000 people on the Navajo Nation have tested positive for COVID-19 and 548 have died.
