Gov. Lujan Grisham Reinstates Mask Mandate

Citing rising cases of COVID-19 fueled by the Delta variant, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham today announced masks will once again be required indoors as of Friday, Aug. 20.

“This is familiar territory,” the governor said during an afternoon news conference outlining both the new mask requirement and a host of vaccine mandates for school and health care workers. “What we must do is enact policies that reduce the rate of infection. We know the pandemic is not over and that we are in a pivotal moment in the state. So our top top priorities are always: saving lives…and protecting our hospitals, but we can’t continue our economic recovery and our positive economic journey if we have out-of-control COVID cases in the state of New Mexico.”

The new requirement, outlined in a public health order from Acting Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase, remains in effect through Sept. 15 and applies to anyone over the age of 2 except when eating or drinking, regardless of vaccination status.

Prior to the new order, the state’s recommendations aligned with that of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which advised that fully vaccinated people should wear masks indoors if they lived in counties with substantial or high transmission rates (currently all of New Mexico, except for Union and Harding counties, based on the CDC). Masks will now also be required for everyone in school buildings regardless of vaccination status. According to AARP, only four other states —Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada and Oregon—require masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

Under a separate public health order, all New Mexico private, public and charter school employees as of Aug. 23, will need to either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to COVID-19 testing on a weekly basis, comparable to the current policy for state employees. In addition, all workers in New Mexico hospitals and congregate care facilities are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The limited exemptions for hospital and congregate care facility workers include having a qualifying medical condition recognized by the Food and Drug Administration or the CDC as a contra-indication to a COVID-19 vaccine; having a disability requiring separate accommodation; or having a sincerely held religious belief requiring separate accommodation. To be eligible for an exemption, an individual must provide their employer with either a statement from a physician or nurse practitioner validating the need for a medical or disability exemption or a documented request regarding the manner in which the administration of a COVID-19 vaccine conflicts with the religious observance or practice or belief of the individual.

Anyone granted an exemption by the operator of a hospital or congregate care facility must then, under the requirements of the public health order, provide documentation of COVID-19 testing on a weekly basis.

The order also requires anyone eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine attending the New Mexico State Fair between Sept. 9-19 to provide proof of vaccination. The governor indicated an app may be under development to assist attendees in showing their vaccination status, and that perhaps comparable requirements may unfold for other large events such as Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta. In response to questions regarding the upcoming Santa Fe Indian Market, she said she was not inclined to “upend” the market, but would talk with organizers about best practices and the city about potentially increasing testing sites.

Overall, testing needs to remain above 10,000 per day, Scrase said, noting that the state’s test positivity rate has risen above the target of 7.5% to 9%. Yesterday, he said, the state administered 10,540 tests and needs to remain above 10,000 to adequately assess cases. Currently, health officials advise anyone with symptoms or contact with someone who has tested positive to seek testing, regardless of vaccination status. “There aren’t many good reasons to not get tested anymore,” he said. In addition to on-site testing, at-home tests are available via Vault.

While not ruling out further restrictions, both Lujan Grisham and Scrase stressed that increasing vaccine rates and continued masking would help stem the rising cases, with the governor reiterating the state would continue to rely on the scientific data to make policy decisions.

“New Mexico is going to continue to be a science state,” she said. “While I am clearly distraught, we all should be, about what’s occurring in New Mexico and across the country, that we’re still engaged in a worldwide pandemic of a deadly highly contagious virus that most of us have done everything in our power to blunt.” Saying the state would continue to “lead by example,” she concluded by noting “there is more to be done.”

The new masking and vaccine requirements follow both increasing cases and Los Alamos National Laboratory modeling that forecasts cases could reach 1,000 cases daily by the end of the month. In addition, hospitals have been steadily filling up, with hospital leaders recently sounding the alarm and urging for greater vaccination.

According to Scrase, several hospitals have filled to the point of reaching various levels of contingency care, which requires adjusting beds and patient care, with a trajectory toward reaching crisis standards of care, at which point facilities have inadequate resources.

“This surge is a terrifying indicator of moving in the absolutely wrong direction,” Lujan Grisham said. “Hospital systems around the hospital are failing, there are not enough workers, there are not enough beds, there are not enough services to not only treat COVID patients but to care for others.”

New Mexico health officials today reported 749 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total so far to 221,086. The health department has designated 198,958 of them as recovered.

Bernalillo County had 171 cases, followed by Lea County with 140 and Doña Ana County with 60. Santa Fe County had 20 new cases.

The state also announced four additional deaths; there have now been 4,455 fatalities.

As of today, 341 people are hospitalized with COVID-19.*

Currently, 75% of New Mexicans 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 66% are fully vaccinated. Among those in the 12-to-17-year age group, 55.3% are partially vaccinated and 42.3% are fully inoculated. In Santa Fe County among adults 18 years and older, 86.8% have had at least one dose and 76.6% are fully inoculated.

Scrase reiterated data showing the bulk of cases, hospitalizations and deaths are among those who remain unvaccinated, pointing to 11 counties that are less than 50% vaccinated. Currently, full vaccination rates range from 33.8% in Roosevelt County to 80.6% in McKinley County.

New cases

• 171 new cases in Bernalillo County
• 24 new cases in Chaves County
• 8 new cases in Cibola County
• 8 new cases in Colfax County
• 22 new cases in Curry County
• 69 new cases in Doña Ana County
• 65 new cases in Eddy County
• 1 new case in Grant County
• 4 new cases in Guadalupe County
• 140 new cases in Lea County
• 19 new cases in Lincoln County
• 5 new cases in Luna County
• 5 new cases in McKinley County
• 1 new case in Mora County
• 15 new cases in Otero County
• 5 new cases in Quay County
• 21 new cases in Rio Arriba County
• 13 new cases in Roosevelt County
• 38 new cases in Sandoval County
• 28 new cases in San Juan County
• 14 new cases in San Miguel County
• 20 new cases in Santa Fe County
• 4 new cases in Sierra County
• 9 new cases in Taos County
• 6 new cases in Torrance County
• 33 new cases in Valencia County
• 1 new case among New Mexico Corrections Department inmates at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County

New fatalities

• A female in her 50s from Bernalillo County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions
• A male in his 50s from Bernalillo County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions
• A male in his 50s from Sandoval County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions
• A male in his 70s from Valencia County who was hospitalized and 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:

• Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County: 303
• Guadalupe County Correctional Facility: 255
• Lea County Correctional Facility: 761
• Northeast New Mexico Correctional Facility in Union County: 169
• Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center in Cibola County: 130
• Otero County Prison Facility: 473
• Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe County: 219
• Roswell Correctional Center: 229
• Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility in Doña Ana County: 231
• Springer Correctional Center in Colfax County: 151
• Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Cibola County: 75

Statewide cases

County totals are subject to change upon further investigation and determination of residency of individuals positive for COVID-19.

• Bernalillo County: 63,391
• Catron County: 115
• Chaves County: 9,826
• Cibola County: 2,989
• Colfax County: 854
• Curry County: 5,793
• De Baca County: 201
• Doña Ana County: 26,175
• Eddy County: 8,287
• Grant County: 1,839
• Guadalupe County: 498
• Harding County: 13
• Hidalgo County: 481
• Lea County: 10,067
• Lincoln County: 2,058
• Los Alamos County: 590
• Luna County: 3,517
• McKinley County: 12,853
• Mora County: 190
• Otero County: 4,512
• Quay County: 643
• Rio Arriba County: 4,028
• Roosevelt County: 2,231
• Sandoval County: 13,147
• San Juan County: 16,491
• San Miguel County: 1,597
• Santa Fe County: 11,247
• Sierra County: 822
• Socorro County: 1,387
• Taos County: 1,856
• Torrance County: 967
• Union County: 273
• Valencia County: 7,473

Cases among people being held by federal agencies

• Cibola County Correctional Center: 452
• Otero County Federal Prison Facility: 457
• Otero County Processing Center: 436
• Torrance County Detention Facility: 334

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

• Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County: 303
• Guadalupe County Correctional Facility: 255
• Lea County Correctional Facility: 761
• Northeast New Mexico Correctional Facility in Union County: 169
• Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center in Cibola County: 130
• Otero County Prison Facility: 473
• Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe County: 219
• Roswell Correctional Center: 229
• Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility in Doña Ana County: 231
• Springer Correctional Center in Colfax County: 151
• Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Cibola County: 75

*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.