Doña Ana County surpasses 3,000 total virus cases as New Mexico mulls more re-opening

SANTA FE, New Mexico -- An additional 137 Covid-19 cases were reported Friday by New Mexico health officials, bringing the state’s total to 26,563 confirmed infections since the pandemic began.

The state's death toll stands at 818 after two more deaths were announced Friday.

In Doña Ana County, there were a dozen new infections reported to break the 3,000 mark - and reach 3,001 total cases. The death toll held at 51.

With the state's public health order due to expire soon, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said her administration would consider easing some coronavirus restrictions next week.

The governor said her review would take into account the latest data on cases and transmission rates as well as the effectiveness of the state’s Covid-19 safe practices and what has been learned during the first wave of school openings.

“Because if we do (school openings) successfully, then we know we can do more business opening and that’s really important to the state,” she said.

Lujan Grisham has taken an aggressive approach to reducing Covid-19 infections and positivity rates in testing with an active health order that mandates face masks in public, limited occupancy at most businesses, a 10-person cap on public gatherings and quarantine provisions for travelers arriving from many states.

The governor and health officials said the seven-day average case count has now reached one of its lowest levels in months, the rate of transmission is meeting targets and hospitalizations remain low.

As the week draws to a close, state officials indicated they were pleased with the numbers and congratulated residents for wearing face masks, keeping their distance from one another, avoiding large gatherings and staying home as much as possible.