Eddie Moore/The Albuquerque Journal via AP
- New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday that the state will be closing all non-essential businesses, starting next week.
- Lujan Grisham, who co-chairs President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team, is encouraging New Mexicans to stay home as much as possible through the end of the month.
- “Make plans for a different kind of Thanksgiving,” she said.
- On Thursday, state health officials announced a record 1,753 new cases of COVID-19; one in six positive tests since the pandemic began have taken place over the last week.
New Mexico residents should stay home for the rest of November, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Friday, announcing a new statewide order that will close all non-essential businesses and limit bars and restaurants to takeout.
Lujan Grisham, a Democrat who co-chairs President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team, said she had hoped to contain the surge in COVID-19 with less drastic measures.
“The public health data make clear, however, that more aggressive restrictions are not only warranted but essential if we are to prevent mass casualties,” she said. “Make plans for a different kind of Thanksgiving.”
On Thursday, state health officials announced a record 1,753 new cases of COVID-19. Over 60,000 New Mexicans have now tested positive for the coronavirus — one in six over the past week.
At least 94 people have died because of the virus over the last seven days, bringing the statewide total to 1,176.
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The new public health order, which takes effect Monday, shutters gyms, salons, and tattoo parlors. It also prohibits guided raft and balloon tours, presumably in an effort to discourage out-of-state visitors; hotels are also limited to 25% capacity.
Essential businesses, such as grocery stores and big-box retailers, are also limited to 25% capacity.
Churches and other religious venues can still hold indoor services, provided they are capped at a quarter of their maximum occupancy, topping out at 75 people.
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