/ Modified dec 4, 2020 3:10 p.m.

White Mountain Apache Tribe locks down due to increase in COVID-19 cases

The lockdown was triggered by a rolling three-day case count and will last the weekend.

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The Fort Apache Indian Reservation will be shutting down for the weekend.

The White Mountain Apache Tribe instated a 72-hour lockdown to last from 8 p.m. Friday till 8 p.m. Monday.

Thursday the approximately 16,000-member tribe, which has about about 13,500 residents in the reservation, reported 126 active COVID-19 cases.

It's had 2,931 positive cases since April 1, and 42 people are known to have died from COVID-19 complications.

The Arizona Republic reported that an alert system triggered the lockdown when daily cases over the last three days reached 34 to 43, and that Thursday was the highest number of new reported cases since July 20.

Thursday the tribe announced 24 more cases and said there had been 40 new cases over three days.

According to a press release, residents can only leave their homes to go to work with proof of employment or to receive medical care.

The tribe also has a mask mandate while people are in public, a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, and social restrictions for gatherings like ceremonies and funerals.

Weekend lockdowns have become a familiar and effective tool in nearby tribal lands, such as the Navajo Nation.

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