MHA Chairman responds to spike in Mountrail County COVID-19 cases

Mountrail County saw a spike in positive COVID-19 tests over the weekend.

Six new cases were confirmed positive, bringing the total number in the county to 19, according to the North Dakota department of Health website.

MHA Tribal leaders in New Town say they are not surprised to see the pandemic touch so close to home.

“There will be more, of course, as each day rolls by it will grow, and we are no different from the rest of the world. So our basic position is that now that we've got more aggressive testing we're finding more of what's out there," said MHA Nation Chairman Mark Fox.

Fox said he is working closely with the state to access the identity of the positive cases to make sure they can monitor their movements in and out of the reservation.