New Mexico governor says no in-class school until after Sept. 7; Doña Ana County sees 15th virus death

SANTA FE, New Mexico – New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday afternoon hit the pause button on reopening public schools this fall, meaning classes will be online only at least through Labor Day.

State public education officials initially proposed a hybrid plan combining in-person classroom time with remote online learning, but the governor said during a briefing that the rates of spread and positivity for the coronavirus are troubling.

"We are prioritizing the health and safety of our students, (school) staff and communities," Lujan Grisham said of her decision.

The governor pointed to an additional 343 Covid-19 cases that were reported by state health officials Thursday, saying that marks New Mexico’s all-time daily high since the pandemic started.

The statewide case total stands at 18,163, and officials are concerned that the seven-day average for positive cases has more than doubled in recent weeks.

On Thursday, the state also reported five more deaths to take that tally to 596. There were 167 hospitalizations across the state with 34 patients needing ventilators.

One of the five latest deaths was a man in his 60s from Doña Ana County, which was the county's 15th virus fatality. The county also posted 31 new cases on Thursday for a cumulative count of 1,864.

There have been 496,985 tests given to date and health leaders said the state had an 83% rate of contract tracing for those infected; that's more than double the national average, which sits around 40%.

Officials at the briefing said infections among restaurant employees had increased 15-fold over a two month period - significantly higher than the infection rate at grocery stores.

"We can't be at our highest number of cases" to fully go back to work and school, said Dr. David Scrase, one of the governor's cabinet members.

The governor agreed with the doctor's assessment.

“The data that we have about what’s happening with Covid in the state of New Mexico is far too problematic to allow for in-person education,” Lujan Grisham said, noting that things will only change if people start reducing their movements, wearing masks and keeping their distance from others.

If things improve, the state could roll out its hybrid plan after Sept. 7 by bringing back the youngest students first, followed by middle schoolers and then high school students. The goal, the governor said, is to have all students back in the classroom at some point with no hybrid schedules.

Districts and charter schools representing more than 40% of the state’s students already had requested a virtual start.

Lujan Grisham’s administration has promised “a safe and methodical re-entry” to schools, with the governor reiterating that the state has to go slow because the risks are big. She noted the uptick in COVID-19 cases involves a higher percentage of younger people, particularly in the 10 to 19 age range.

There are two exceptions to the governor’s plan. Students with special needs and those in grades kindergarten through third grade who have the most learning needs could meet one-on-one with teachers or in small groups.

School districts last week submitted their re-entry plans to the state Public Education Department. Those plans are still being reviewed, but state officials acknowledge that 40% of parents believe it’s not safe for their kids to go back.

A coalition of Latino advocacy groups on Wednesday released the results of their own survey, showing that Latino parents have serious concerns about their children spending too much time away from school or not learning enough from online schooling. More than 80% of the 480 parents who were queried in June said they were very concerned about their children falling behind, with math being the subject of greatest concern.

Many of the families said the lack of internet access was a problem in the spring after schools were forced to close and districts shifted to remote learning.

Native American parents and other advocacy groups have voiced similar concerns.

State officials indicated that federal coronavirus relief funding could help with infrastructure needs and that more money could be freed up for broadband access. However, the governor acknowledge that education will be expensive in a Covid-19 environment and that those improvements won’t come overnight.

You can view the governor's entire news conference in the video player below.