CLIFTON —Greenlee County has its first COVID-19 related death, Graham County is up to 33 cases and the San Carlos Apache Tribe has initiated strict isolation procedures now that there are five cases on the reservation
The Greenlee County Health Department announced the death Sunday. Specifics about gender, age, community of residence and whether the victim suffered any underlying health conditions were not released.
The Health Department also announced it was up to six positive cases, with one announced Friday — believed to be linked to a cluster “in a neighboring county” — and another Sunday.
Graham County Health Department announced five new COVID-19 cases Saturday, all associated with the cluster first identified on Memorial Day.
Seven of the positive cases involve people 20 and younger, two are 21-34, 14 are 35-60 and 10 are 65 and older. There have been two deaths in Graham County.
Following Saturday’s announcement a third person on the reservation tested positive, the San Carlos Apache Tribe implemented strict physical distancing guidelines in addition to its daily curfew, including prohibition of walking on public roadways and mandating the wearing of a mask when out of the home. Failure to do so could result in a $1,000 fine for each violation.
The fourth case was announced Sunday and the fifth case Monday.
In addition to the five cases on the reservation, 12 San Carlos Apache Tribal members who live off reservation have also tested positive.
