FILE A Navajo market table stands unused as Doggy Rock is seen across Interstate 163 in Monument Valley north of Kayenta, Ariz., on the Navajo reservation on April 28, 2020. Navajo Monument Vally Tribal Park is closed in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on the Navajo reservation. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — Navajo Nation health officials on Thursday reported 18 new confirmed cases of coronavirus and three additional deaths. The latest numbers increase the total number of people infected to 9,933 with the known death toll now at 530. Tribal health officials say 98,408 people have been tested for COVID-19 and 7,169 have recovered. Much of the Navajo Nation has been closed since March as the coronavirus swept through the vast reservation that extends into New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. Tribal officials are extending partial weekend lockdowns and daily curfews through September to help control the spread of the coronavirus.
Lee Lonsberry spoke with Navajo Nation President Jonothan Nez, you can hear that conversation here.