As the official start of autumn approaches (Sept. 22 to be exact) and New Mexico continues making good progress stemming COVID-19, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced during an afternoon news conference new activities permitted under the emergency public health order.
The activities all limit group size to no more than 10 and require adherence to COVID-safety practices such as mask wearing. They include: youth sports practice and training; camping at open state parks as of Oct. 1; ice-skating and swimming (masks not required while swimming); and pick-your-own pumpkin patches. Forthcoming guidance from the state will include other fall-type activities such as haunted houses and corn mazes.
Competitive contact sports are not still not allowed; the amended emergency public health order will be effective through mid-October
"These are changes really aimed at getting more safe COVID-safe options for kids, in particular for parents and families, to take advantage…of our incredible fall weather." The governor also said she welcomed suggestions for COVID-safe ways to celebrate Halloween.
The governor announced these modifications as state health officials report 159 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total so far to 27,199.
Bernalillo County led with 38 new cases, followed by Doña Ana County with 21 and Chaves County with 17. Santa Fe County had 10 new cases.
The governor also reported four more deaths, including the sixth for Santa Fe County along with additional fatalities in Bernalillo, Lea and McKinley counties; there have now been 836 total deaths.
"I don't want this ever to become sounding or feeling routine," Lujan Grisham said when discussing the latest deaths. "This is a serious deadly virus, and the tragedy and grief for these individuals and their families who are affected by losing their friends and family members…there is no way to adequately talk about that."
As of today, 69 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, 14 on ventilators.*
Overall, the governor said, "We believe we are trending in exactly the way we are hoping to and continue to be cautiously optimistic that we have flattened the curve again and are moving in the right direction."
The state continues to meet most of its gating criteria—benchmarks for re-opening—with the exception of testing 5,000 people per day, where numbers are falling slightly below on a seven-day rolling average. The governor said she is less concerned about the testing figure, given how low the state's test positive rate remains: approximately 2%.
"We're one of the lowest positive test states in the west," she said, "one of the lowest in the country. This is the indicator that tells us…we do have some room here to introduce risk without creating unintended consequences." Nonetheless, she said the state has "good" if "not great" testing supplies and people should continue to get tested, regardless of whether they have symptoms.
As further indication of progress against COVID-19, Environment Secretary James Kenney said the number of rapid responses—which the state deploys to businesses with positive cases—also has been decreasing.
"In July we had a record number…since then they've started to come down and that's a great story for New Mexico," Kenney said.
Healthcare continues to be the top industry for rapid responses and has, in fact increased 1% between July 26 and Sept. 13. Restaurants, though remaining as the second highest, have decreased by 4.2% during the same time period. Kenney said cases in the public administration realm seem "to be creeping up a little bit and competing to be in the top 5. That's not a good competition to be in and we'd like to see the public sector drop" as well.
Kenney also shared data on the overall state of industry throughout COVID-19, such as the number of citizen complaints: 4,662, although there has been a 52% decrease in such complaints, he said.
Lastly, the state Personnel Director Pamela Coleman again urged New Mexicans to fill out their census forms as the deadline (Sept. 30) approaches.
New cases
- 38 new cases in Bernalillo County
- 17 new cases in Chaves County
- 3 new cases in Cibola County
- 1 new case in Colfax County
- 1 new case in Curry County
- 21 new cases in Doña Ana County
- 10 new cases in Eddy County
- 1 new case in Grant County
- 1 new case in Hidalgo County
- 15 new cases in Lea County
- 1 new case in Lincoln County
- 11 new cases in Luna County
- 5 new cases in McKinley County
- 2 new cases in Otero County
- 1 new case in Quay County
- 3 new cases in Rio Arriba County
- 6 new cases in Roosevelt County
- 8 new cases in Sandoval County
- 2 new cases in San Juan County
- 10 new cases in Santa Fe County
- 1 new case in Sierra County
- 1 new case in Valencia County
New fatalities
- A male in his 60s from Bernalillo County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions
- A male in his 70s from Lea County who was hospitalized
- A male in his 40s from McKinley County who had underlying conditions
- A male in his 60s from Santa Fe County who had underlying conditions
Congregate facilities
The Department of Health has identified at least one positive COVID-19 case in residents and/or staff in the past 28 days at the following facilities:
Albuquerque Heights Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Albuquerque
Aristocrat Assisted Living in Las Cruces
Avamere at Rio Rancho
Avamere at Roswell
Bear Canyon Rehabilitation Center in Albuquerque
Belen Meadows Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Belen
Brookdale Santa Fe
Camino Healthcare in Albuquerque
Casa de Oro Center in Las Cruces
Casa Maria Health Care Center in Roswell
Fort Bayard Medical Center in Santa Clara
Good Life Senior Living in Lovington
Good Samaritan Society Las Cruces
Good Samaritan Society Socorro
Heartfelt Manor in Roswell
Heritage Assisted Living in Las Cruces
Lakeview Christian Home in Carlsbad
Las Palomas Center in Albuquerque
LifeSpire Assisted Living in Albuquerque
Lovington Healthcare in Lovington
Mescalero Care Center in Mescalero
Mission Arch Center in Roswell
Pacifica Senior Living in Santa Fe
Princeton Place in Albuquerque
Red Rocks Care Center in Gallup
Retirement Ranches in Clovis
The Rio at Las Estancias in Albuquerque
Sagecrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Las Cruces
Sandia Ridge Center in Albuquerque
Silver City Care Center in Silver City
Sunny Day Assisted Living in Gallup
Sunset Villa Nursing Home in Roswell
Village Retirement Community in Roswell
Welbrook Senior Living Las Cruces
Wheatfields Senior Living in Clovis
Statewide cases
According to a state news release, previously reported numbers included one case in Santa Fe County was a duplicate and has now been corrected. County totals are subject to change upon further investigation and determination of residency of individuals positive for COVID-19.
- Bernalillo County: 6,144
- Catron County: 11
- Chaves County: 993
- Cibola County: 407
- Colfax County: 26
- Curry County: 730
- De Baca County: 1
- Doña Ana County: 3,068
- Eddy County: 654
- Grant County: 100
- Guadalupe County: 33
- Harding County: 2
- Hidalgo County: 99
- Lea County: 1,299
- Lincoln County: 179
- Los Alamos County: 29
- Luna County: 388
- McKinley County: 4,285
- Mora County: 7
- Otero County: 243
- Quay County: 70
- Rio Arriba County: 381
- Roosevelt County: 252
- Sandoval County: 1,309
- San Juan County: 3,245
- San Miguel County: 91
- Santa Fe County: 932
- Sierra County: 40
- Socorro County: 82
- Taos County: 128
- Torrance County: 64
- Union County: 31
- Valencia County: 534
Cases among people being held by federal agencies
Cibola County Correctional Center: 324
Otero County Prison Facility: 281
Otero County Processing Center: 163
Torrance County Detention Facility: 44
Cases among people being held by the New Mexico Department of Corrections
Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County: 32
Lea County Correctional Facility: 19
Northeast New Mexico Correctional Facility in Union County: 1
Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center in Cibola County: 1
Otero County Prison Facility: 472
Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe County: 1
Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Cibola County: 4
*Per the health department, hospitalization figures include people who were tested elsewhere but are hospitalized in New Mexico, but don't include people who were tested here but are hospitalized out of state.
