WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – The Navajo Nation has reported an additional 121 known COVID-19 cases and seven more deaths, increasing its totals to 15,374 cases and 638 deaths.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
Navajo Nation officials continued to urge the public not to hold in-person gatherings with nonhousehold members on Thanksgiving Day because of COVID-19 risks.
“By inviting guests and other relatives into your home, you are creating substantial risks for you and your family members,” tribal President Jonathan Nez said in a statement Tuesday night. “We have to be diligent and make good choices, which aren’t the easiest.”
The nation’s sprawling reservation, which includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, is under a three-week stay-home lockdown to curb spread of the coronavirus.