No new virus deaths in New Mexico, but liquor stores must close & grocery stores limit customers
SANTA FE, New Mexico — New Mexico health officials have announced 62 new cases of coronavirus, including one in Doña Ana County, while the state’s fatality count held steady at 12 with no new deaths.
The state Department of Health said Monday that New Mexico now has 686 cases of Covid-19 including a total of 30 positive cases in the Las Cruces area. One of the Doña Ana County cases involved a hospitalized New Mexico State University employee.
Meanwhile, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced she was officially extending the state's emergency stay-at-home order from April 10 until April 30, saying "New Mexicans must stay home to prevent further spread of the virus."
The amended order also added liquor stores, automobile dealerships and payday lenders to the list of non-essential businesses that must cease operations as of Tuesday at 8 a.m.
In addition, the governor directed essential businesses - notably grocery stores and other retailers - to limit gatherings at their facilities.
The new requirements say the maximum number of customers allowed in a store at any given time cannot exceed more than 20% of maximum occupancy. Customers waiting outside are also directed to comply with social distance guidelines requiring six-feet of space between individuals.
The governor's new order comes a day after President Donald Trump signed off on a federal disaster declaration for New Mexico. The declaration frees up federal funding to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts.
Bernalillo County, which is the Albuquerque metro area, remains the state's top hot spot for the virus. It continues to lead all counties with 262 virus infections - which is more than a third of all the cases statewide.
New Mexico officials reported 48 individuals were hospitalized across the state on Monday, while 133 had recovered from the disease.
Below you can see county-by-county data for virus cases across New Mexico. The data comes from Johns Hopkins, so the numbers may vary from what's reported by the state health department.
