The Montezuma County Public Health Department announced Saturday afternoon that two new positive COVID-19 cases have been identified in Montezuma County, for a total of eight confirmed positive cases in the county.

One of these positive cases resulted in a fatality, and all six were identified in the past six days, according to the county department.

“Once again, this emphasizes the need for everyone to do their part in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in Montezuma County,” said Bobbi Lock, director of the Public Health Department, in a release. “Follow the Stay at Home Order, limit your time away from home, and plan your shopping so that you can accomplish everything in one trip.”

No additional information about the infected individuals will be released, because of privacy laws. The Public Health Department is engaged in contact tracing, which involves reaching out to those who have been in contact with the infected individuals, evaluating them for symptoms, and possibly testing them for COVID-19, Lock said at a Facebook Live session Thursday, hosted by Southwest Health System.

She described contact tracing as being conducted through a “tiered” system, starting with people who have had close interaction with an infected individual. Those in that first tier have all been asked to be tested.

“Then we go further out, the more results we get, the more symptoms we get,” Lock said. “The tiers grow.”

She and the other SHS officials taking part in the Facebook Live session stressed the importance of thorough hand-washing and the continued practice of social distancing.

Montezuma County’s first confirmed positive case of COVID-19 was announced Saturday afternoon, and the following two cases were announced Thursday. According to the Public Health Department, one of the Thursday cases resulted in a fatality.

As of April 2, neighboring La Plata County had a total of 25 confirmed positive cases, while in San Juan County, New Mexico, that number stood at 50 as of April 3.

ealvero@the-journal.com

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