State appears to be slowing reopening process as COVID-19 cases increase

The update New Mexicans received from the Governor’s office on Thursday afternoon was not what we’d originally hoped for – which was a full shift into the second phase of the state’s re-opening plan by June 15.

Instead, citing a 10-day uptick in positive coronavirus diagnoses in New Mexico, as well as a larger increase in cases in neighboring states, Governor Lujan Grisham only announced a single significant change: Under a new public health order that went into effect Friday, breweries will be permitted to open outdoor patio seating at half capacity. On Monday, they will be able to resume indoor service at half capacity, though bar and counter service will remain prohibited. This is certainly great news for our local breweries, but there’s a lot left to do in terms of making sure everyone receives fair treatment in opening.

The state did acknowledge that the overall increase in positives is partially due to the situation at the prison in Otero County. More than 250,000 COVID-19 tests have now been conducted in the state, and there was good news about health care service availability. Three additional positive COVID-19 cases were also announced in Eddy County on Thursday, for a total of 45 at that time. As of Thursday, New Mexico has had a total of 9,367 positive tests for COVID-19, which includes 3,899 cases designated as having been recovered.

Unfortunately, Guadalupe Mountains National Park also announced Thursday that they will remain temporarily closed until further notice, due to the continued number of new cases in neighboring communities. Carlsbad Caverns National Park has not posted any new updates following its closure announcement.

Read more: https://www.currentargus.com/story/opinion/editorials/2020/06/12/state-appears-slowing-reopening-process-covid-19-cases-increase/3176856001/
(Carlsbad Current Argus)