By Jo Mixon
From Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham
Once again extends PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER June 1 thru June 30, 2020
New Mexico’s emergency public health order has been extended and amended effective June 1, 2020. More businesses have now reopened.
Phase 1-B: What changed as of today:
- Restaurants may open indoor dining at 50% capacity maximum occupancy. Restaurants are those operations that generated at least 50% from dine in services from the sale of food during the last calendar year. Tables must be 6 feet apart, no more than 6 people per table. Bar and counter seating prohibited, therefore no patron standing may consume food or beverages. Outdoor dining allowed following the same guidelines. Restaurants must operate in compliance within the COVID-Safe Practices for Restaurants. Restaurants will have an optional sign-in for patrons to list personal information for Contact tracing by the state, but cannot force patrons to give their personal information. (via call this morning with Governor’s staff)
- Local Breweries, wineries, and distilleries may operate but only for carry out service. (Unless at least 50% of their last year income was generated from dine-in food sales, see restaurant guide above)
- Gyms are allowed to reopen at 50 % occupancy among other restrictions. At gyms, swimming pools may reopen for lap swimming and lessons of up to two students; personal training is permitted for up to two trainees. Group fitness classes such as Yoga and Thai Chi are still prohibited, as are sparring, grappling, wrestling and other forms of person-to-person contact training.
- Hair and Nail Salons, Barber Shops, Tattoo Parlors and Massage Services may begin operating at 25% occupancy. Salons and other personal-service businesses must operate on a by-appointment basis only, per the amended order and follow all CSP’s per their industry. Waiting rooms will remain closed; clients will not be allowed to enter until time for their appointment.
- Indoor Shopping Malls may open at 25% maximum capacity. Shopping mall food courts must remain closed, and loitering is prohibited.
- Drive-in Theaters may reopen under COVID-Safe Practices
- 14 more State Parks will open for day use only, some with capacity limits. Eagle Nest Lake is now open. Before visiting a state park check for hours of operation, visitor capacity, available facilities and group size.
- Overnight camping is prohibited, Visitor Centers remain closed, as well as any other large enclosed indoor spaces normally used by the public.
- Places of Lodging which includes: Hotels, Motels, RV Parks, and Short Term Vacation Rentals may operate at 50% of maximum occupancy under COVID-Safe Practices. The out of state restrictions have been removed from the Public Health order. In the case of short term vacation rentals, occupancy should be determined based upon the number of properties managed by a property management. (This includes 50% of VRBO listings)
- Summer Youth Programs may operate on a strict limited basis. See complete guidelines, restrictions, and CSP’s by downloading the full document at the bottom of this section.
- Outdoor Tennis may operate according to the restrictions in the CSP guidelines.
- Public Swimming Pools may open but only for lap swimming and lessons of no more than 2 people. Play and splash areas are to remain closed.
- Hot Air Balloon Rides may resume as long as there is a plastic divided partition between riders. See CSP’s guidelines for more information.
- The 14 day quarantine order for airport arrivals has been amended to permit certain business travel under the CSP’s Individuals who travel to the state of New Mexico by air are still required to self-quarantine for 14 days or for the duration of their time in New Mexico. However, Executive Order 2020-037 which was signed alongside the amended public health order, provides several exemptions to the self-quarantine requirement that allows for certain business travel:
- airline employees on travel for work
- Individuals performing public safety or public health functions
- Emergency first responders
- Health care workers
- Military personnel
- Individuals employed by a federal agency or national defense contractor
- Individuals arriving to New Mexico pursuant to a court order
- Individuals traveling into New Mexico to conduct business activities
- To review the complete executive order on out-of-state air travel, click here.
Businesses must operate in accordance with COVID-Safe Practices for their industry, which can be found in “All Together New Mexico: COVID-Safe Practices for Individuals and Employers.” That document can be accessed and downloaded at www.newmexico.gov and www. cv.nmhelath.org.
What will remain the same in the Governor’s orders:
- New Mexicans must remain home except for outings essential for health, safety and welfare, especially elderly and vulnerable individuals. If you must leave home, gatherings of more than five people remain prohibited and 6 feet of physical distance from others must be maintained. Travel between in state counties is not advised, nor is out of state travel.
- Bars are not allowed to open other than take out or delivery if otherwise permitted by their licenses. A bar is defined in the order as food and beverage service establishments that derived more than 50% of their revenue in the prior calendar year from the sale of alcoholic beverages.
- Indoor recreational facilities must remain closed: This includes indoor theaters, bowling alleys, museums, casinos, etc.
- Certain outdoor recreation activities, by COVID-Safe Practices, are allowed to open. This includes the Angel Fire Bike Park ( see www.angelfireresort.com for information), Bobcat Pass Wilderness Adventures, Roadrunner Tours Horseback Rides and Guided River Raft Tours.
- All retailers may operate according to COVID-Safe Practices (“CSPs”) at 25 % fire code occupancy.
- Golf Courses are allowed to open following COVID-Safe Practices. Visit Here for the Angel Fire Resort Golf Course guidelines.
- Office spaces and call centers, may operate according to CSPs at up to 25% of pre-crisis staffing levels. But all employees should continue to work from home wherever possible, this includes Chamber of Commerce.
- Churches may operate at 25% occupancy.
- No mass gatherings of over 5 people: This includes events, concerts, arts and craft shows, or other indoor or outdoor entertainment venues during Phase 1-B, possibly this will change in Phase 2.
- No nursing home visitation during this phase
- Masks are required of everyone in public places, with exceptions for eating, drinking, exercising and those with medical requirements and conditions that may cause unsafe reactions when wearing a mask. Please be aware, this is up to the individual business to enforce. Local municipalities nor local police have the authority to enforce or write citations. Only the State Police have this authority to do so under a state of emergency order.
COVID-Safe Practices for all Open Businesses
- Adhere to maximum occupancy limits per public health order
- Support social distancing
- Face coverings for all employees and ask the same of your customers
- Maintain schedule of stringent daily cleaning/sanitizing, including frequent cleaning of high-contact items and surfaces (doors, credit card terminals, counter tops, etc.)
- Establish protocols for contactless pickup and delivery wherever possible
Governor Lujan-Grisham stated, “Reopening our economy is not an invitation to forget about the risks of this virus, it is a mandate that we be more cautious and careful about our choices and decisions than ever before. Just because you can go doesn’t mean you should. Ask yourself: Is this business operating with safe practices? When in doubt, err on the side of safety and stay home!” If a business or its clients are not following the CSP’s and it makes you feel uncomfortable, don’t feel as if you, your mayor, or your village council should police them, only the state police have that authority. Don’t start a disturbance, either verbal or physical or by taking photos in a business (you could be the one arrested for harassment in an establishment)…..just DO NOT PATRONIZE THEIR BUSINESS, plain and simple. And when a business is in compliance and is following the CSP’s, thank them for making you feel safe, but remember it is up to them, not you, to tell and expect their clientelle to follow the set Safe Covid Business Practices.
The Governor also says that moving from phase to phase of re-opening New Mexico safely depends on the people of New Mexico meeting certain benchmarks, Dr. David Scrase, Secretary of the Human Services Department, calls “gating criteria”. This criteria measures steady progress toward containing the spread of COVID-19. It consists of three factors: Hospital Capacity and PPE supply, Contact Tracing Surveillance, and at least 5000 COVID tests per day for at least 14 continuous days. New Mexico Secretary of Health, Kathy Kunkel said,“This is very ambitious surveillance to get ahead of the virus.”
Dr. Scarse said, “As we move forward in reopening our economy in a COVID-positive New Mexico, it’s critically important that everyone in our state keeps up the good work we’ve been doing by adopting COVID-19 Safe Practices as a new normal way of life. You know the drill: wear a mask in public, wash your hands often, keep a 6-foot distance from others, and STAY HOME if you are sick or have risk factors.”
The state is currently in Phase 1-B of the reopening plan. The Governor wants you to know that workers can make reports about suspected unsafe work environments in the state to nmenv-osha@state.nm.us.
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