WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — The Navajo Nation is ordering all people on the tribe's sprawling reservation to wear protective masks when out in public to help fight the spread of the coronavirus.
Tribal officials said Friday night that the Navajo Department of Health issued an emergency health order for the reservation, which includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The Navajo Nation has been hit harder by the coronavirus than any other Native American tribe.
The tribe and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service said the number of positive coronavirus tests reached 1,127 as of Friday with 44 deaths attributed to Covid-19
With 10,000 Cases, Japan Sets Up More Testing Centers
TOKYO — Japanese health ministry said Sunday that 568 new cases of the coronavirus were reported the day before, bringing the domestic total to 10,361. A combined total including 712 others from a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo this year came to 11,073, with 174 deaths.
The number of cases is still relatively small compared to the United States and Europe, but that's only as many as Japan's limited testing has detected and actual infections are believed to be far more widespread.
Japan has started setting up additional testing centers in Tokyo and elsewhere, allowing primary care doctors to send suspected patients directly to testing stations rather than having them go through public health centers to screen eligibility, an earlier requirement that had prevented and delayed testing and treatment of many people.
Experts have said their strategy of going after clusters to trace infections is no longer effective to keep up with the surging cases and more tests are needed.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday expanded a state of emergency, formerly limited to Tokyo and six other urban areas, to all of Japan, in a bid to prevent spread of the virus nationwide amid concerns that hospitals are already overburdened with influx of patients.
It took two months for the cases to reach 1,000 since the first case was detected in mid-January, but the spread of the infections has accelerated in recent weeks and the number doubled from around 5,000 in just 10 days.
Some Good News for South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported eight more cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the first time for a daily jump in the country to drop to a single digit in about two months.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the additional figures released Sunday took the country's total to 10,661 with 234 deaths.
It said 8,042 people have recovered and released from quarantine and that 12,243 others were being tested to determine whether they contracted the virus.
South Korea's caseload has been waning in recent weeks since it recorded hundreds of new cases every day between late February and early March, mostly in the southeastern city of Daegu and nearby areas.
Despite the recent downward trend, South Korean officials have warned about the possibility of a broader "quiet spread" with people easing up on social distancing.
S. Carolina Opening Stores and Beaches
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina retail stores and public beach access points that had been closed to halt the spread of the coronavirus will be allowed to reopen next week, The Post and Courier reported Saturday.
Gov. Henry McMaster will issue orders Monday to allow for the reopenings to take place on Tuesday, the governor's chief of staff, Trey Walker, told the newspaper.
The order will apply to numerous nonessential stores, including department stores, flea markets, florists, bookstores and music shops. Grocery stores, pharmacies, home improvement stores and medical facilities have been allowed to stay open during the pandemic.
Occupancy in each store will be limited to five customers per 1,000 square-feet of retail space or 20% occupancy, whichever is less, the newspaper said.