The Latest: Navajo Nation extends "safer at home" order

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — The Navajo Nation has extended and loosened a health order intended to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Under the latest “safer at home” order issued Friday, the daily curfew hours are 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. MDT and businesses can remain open until 9 p.m. MDT daily, tribal officials said Saturday.

The order also includes provisions allowing outdoor “drive-in” gatherings in which people remain in their vehicles, park at at least six feet from other vehicles, and wear masks, officials said.

The tribe on Saturday reported 12 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases and one more death, increasing its pandemic totals to 30,052 cases and 1,246 deaths.

The number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.

The Navajo Nation’s vast reservation covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

VACCINES: More than 91.7 million people, or 27.6% of the U.S. population, have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some 50.1 million people, or 15.1% of the population, have completed their vaccination.

CASES: The seven-day rolling average for daily new cases in the U.S. increased over the past two weeks from 54,773 on March 12 to 60,876 on Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

DEATHS: The seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths in the U.S. decreased over the past two weeks decreased from 1,341 on March 12 to 991 on Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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