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Navajo Nation tallies 73 new cases of COVID-19, no deaths

(Zak Podmore | The Salt Lake Tribune) Miss Navajo Nation Shaandiin Parrish distributes food boxes in Aneth, Utah, on Oct. 9, 2020.

(Zak Podmore | The Salt Lake Tribune) Miss Navajo Nation Shaandiin Parrish distributes food boxes in Aneth, Utah, on Oct. 9, 2020.

Window Rock, Ariz. • Navajo Nation health officials are reporting 73 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 but no deaths.

The latest figures bring the total number of cases to 11,828 and the known death toll to 581.

Tribal health officials said 125,851 people on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah have been tested for COVID-19 since the pandemic started and 7,546 have recovered.

A shelter-in-place order, mask mandate, daily curfews and weekend lockdowns remain in effect on the Navajo Nation.

Meanwhile, the tribe is considering legislation to permit casinos and other gaming facilities to re-open at 50% capacity. Without the legislation, Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise likely will be forced to permanently close and layoff all employees by the end of this month.

Most people experience mild or moderate symptoms with the coronavirus, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

But for some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

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