The Pueblo of Laguna is battling a rise in COVID-19 cases on the reservation in New Mexico, Governor Wilfred Herrera said in his weekly update.
In a video posted on October 27, 2020, Herrera said the tribe has seen 61 positive cases within its boundaries, with 12 of them considered “active.” One person has been hospitalized.
“In addition, the Pueblo has 38 households in quarantine with over 100 people affected, and 10 households in isolation with 22 people affected,” Herrera said.
“The top three reasons for the households in quarantine and isolation are: Non- essential travel outside of the Pueblo and out-of-state, large gatherings (to include birthdays and funerals), and visiting other households,” the governor said. “As a reminder, you don’t know what precautions people in other households are taking. You can only trust what precautions are observed within your household.”
Read the full @rt66casino press release here regarding our temporary closure: https://t.co/cR6b1PxHiU pic.twitter.com/8C0guHz8Ig
— Route 66 Casino (@RT66CasinoHotel) October 26, 2020
With cases on the rise, the tribe shut down the Route 66 Casino Hotel on October 25. The facility, located along a busy interstate west of Albuquerque, the most populous city in New Mexico, will remain closed for two weeks for a “deep cleaning” as employees undergo “proactive” testing for the coronavirus, Herrera said.
Laguna is located within the Albuquerque Area of the Indian Health Service. The region has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases over the last 7 days, according to data from October 28, the most recent available.
Pueblo of Laguna: https://www.lagunapueblo-nsn.gov/COVID-19.aspx