Santa Fe County Turns Green Under Public Health Order

As anticipated, Santa Fe County progressed to green today under the state's red-to-green public health framework.

Every other week, the health department evaluates counties' case and test positivity rates. Counties with fewer than eight cases per 100,000 and test positivity rates of less than 5% are classified as green and allowed larger business capacities and other activities. Those meeting one criteria are considered yellow and those meeting neither are red and face the most restrictions. Two weeks ago, the state added an even more expansive turquoise level for those counties that maintain their green status for two consecutive evaluations.

As of today, Santa Fe County has had 5.90 cases per 100,000 over the last two weeks (SFR had previously calculated closer to seven using the daily raw numbers) and a test positivity rate of 1.40%, both well below the criteria.

With green status comes new business opportunities. For instance, indoor dining capacity will now increase from 33% to 50% capacity. Outdoor dining capacity remains at 75%, but the 10 pm required closing time for restaurants serving alcohol no longer applies. Bars and clubs, barred from operating at all under yellow, can now operate at 25% of maximum capacity of any outdoor space on premises, but can still not open indoors (that will change when Santa Fe County reaches turquoise, which allows for 33% indoor capacity for bars and clubs). The entire list of changes at each level can be viewed here, and the categories of businesses are located here.

Overall, 13 of the state's 33 counties advanced to a more relaxed level today. Four counties, however, regressed: Guadalupe, Mora, Taos and Torrance, with Guadalupe County moving from yellow to red and the other three counties moving from green to yellow. All counties' red-to-green status, as assessed bi-weekly, can be viewed via the health department's data dashboard.

New Mexico health officials today reported 257 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total so far to 187,487. The health department has designated 160,142 of those as recovered.

Bernalillo County had 94 cases, followed by Doña Ana County with 39 and Otero County with 20. Santa Fe County had 17 new cases.

The state also announced nine additional deaths, including a man in his 20s from Otero County with underlying conditions; there have now been 3,839 fatalities.

As of today, 134 people are hospitalized with COVID-19.*

Today's cases come on the eve of the one-year anniversary of New Mexico's first COVID-19 cases, and coincide with Congress passing President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which includes $1,400 stimulus checks for individuals making less than $80,000; $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments, along with $45 billion in rental, utility and mortgage assistance, $14 billion for vaccine distribution. Analysts also say the plan has the potential to cut childhood poverty in half.

In a news conference this afternoon, New Mexico's congressional delegation, along with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, provided an overview of the assistance that will be coming to the state and all residents as a result of the plan.

"Today is the beginning of the end for this pandemic," Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-NM, said. "And it's the beginning of a return that's going to feel a lot more like normal than what we've been living through for the past year."

New cases

• 94 new cases in Bernalillo County
• 7 new cases in Chaves County
• 3 new cases in Cibola County
• 4 new cases in Curry County
• 39 new cases in Doña Ana County
• 5 new cases in Eddy County
• 9 new cases in Grant County
• 1 new case in Guadalupe County
• 6 new cases in Lea County
• 2 new cases in Lincoln County
• 8 new cases in Luna County
• 4 new cases in McKinley County
• 2 new cases in Mora County
• 20 new cases in Otero County
• 3 new cases in Quay County
• 2 new cases in Rio Arriba County
• 3 new cases in Roosevelt County
• 6 new cases in Sandoval County
• 2 new cases in San Juan County
• 7 new cases in San Miguel County
• 17 new cases in Santa Fe County
• 3 new cases in Taos County
• 4 new cases in Union County
• 6 new cases in Valencia County

New fatalities

• A male in his 60s from Bernalillo County who was hospitalized
• A second male in his 60s from Bernalillo County who had underlying conditions
• A third male in his 60s from Bernalillo County who was hospitalized, had underlying conditions and was a resident of the Ladera Center in Albuquerque
• A male in his 60s from Chaves County who was hospitalized
• A male in his 80s from Chaves County who was hospitalized
• A female in her 80s from Doña Ana County
• A male in his 40s from McKinley County who was hospitalized
• A male in his 20s from Otero County who had underlying conditions
• A female in her 80s from Rio Arriba 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
• The Aristocrat Assisted Living Center in Alamogordo
• BeeHive Homes Edgewood
• BeeHive Homes Farmington
• BeeHive Homes Taylor Ranch in Albuquerque
• Calibre Sagecrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Las Cruces
• Casa Arena Blanca Nursing Center in Alamogordo
• Casa del Sol Center in Las Cruces
• Clovis Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Clovis
• Good Life Senior Living in Carlsbad
• Good Samaritan Society – Betty Dare in Alamogordo
• Ladera Center in Albuquerque
• Laguna Rainbow Care Center in Casa Blanca
• Lakeview Christian Home in Carlsbad
• La Posada Assisted Living in Las Cruces
• Mission Arch Center in Roswell
• MorningStar Assisted Living and Memory Care of Albuquerque
• The Neighborhood in Rio Rancho Assisted Living in Rio Rancho
• Odelia Healthcare (Camino Healthcare) in Albuquerque
• Princeton Place in Albuquerque
• The Rio at Las Estancias in Albuquerque
• Sandia Senior Suites Assisted Living in Albuquerque
• Santa Fe Care Center in Santa Fe
• Senior Living Systems in Los Lunas
• Sombrillo Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Los Alamos
• Vida Encantada Nursing & Rehabilitation in Las Vegas
• Welbrook Senior Living in Las Cruces
• The Woodmark at Uptown in Albuquerque

Statewide cases

According to a health department newsletter, previously reported numbers included eight cases that have been identified as duplicates (two in Bernalillo County, one in Chaves County and five in Lea County)—these have now been corrected. County totals are subject to change upon further investigation and determination of residency of individuals positive for COVID-19.

• Bernalillo County: 53,321
• Catron County: 83
• Chaves County: 8,672
• Cibola County: 2,772
• Colfax County: 710
• Curry County: 4,962
• De Baca County: 132
• Doña Ana County: 23,131
• Eddy County: 6,543
• Grant County: 1,532
• Guadalupe County: 365
• Harding County: 8
• Hidalgo County: 350
• Lea County: 8,106
• Lincoln County: 1,561
• Los Alamos County: 486
• Luna County: 3,131
• McKinley County: 12,083
• Mora County: 164
• Otero County: 3,439
• Quay County: 424
• Rio Arriba County: 3,433
• Roosevelt County: 1,845
• Sandoval County: 11,006
• San Juan County: 13,586
• San Miguel County: 1,255
• Santa Fe County: 9,684
• Sierra County: 704
• Socorro County: 1,228
• Taos County: 1,566
• Torrance County: 658
• Union County: 244
• Valencia County: 6,242

Cases among people being held by federal agencies

• Cibola County Correctional Center: 445
• Otero County Federal Prison Facility: 443
• Otero County Processing Center: 197
• Torrance County Detention Facility: 47

Cases among people being held by the New Mexico Department of Corrections

• Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County: 288
• Guadalupe County Correctional Facility: 251
• Lea County Correctional Facility: 736
• Northeast New Mexico Correctional Facility in Union County: 167
• Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center in Cibola County: 126
• Otero County Prison Facility: 472
• Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe County: 215
• Roswell Correctional Center: 229
• Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility in Doña Ana County: 220
• Springer Correctional Center in Colfax County: 151
• Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Cibola County: 74

*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.