Indoor dining to cease in Dona Ana County as it moves backward on state virus scale

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — Dona Ana County is now facing stricter restrictions due to the coronavirus.

The county is now in the red on New Mexico’s latest Covid-19 rating map, dropping back from yellow two weeks ago.

That means inside dining at restaurants is no longer allowed after Friday.

The head of the state’s restaurant association told ABC affiliate KOAT that it's a “big problem” when counties don’t stay at the same level and move backwards just as people are getting used to being able to dine in.

Nineteen counties in New Mexico will operate under fewer restrictions under the latest ratings; none of the state's four largest counties showed improvement however - although Dona Ana was the only of those counties to actually move backwards on the scale.

Under the state's system, a color is assigned based on the risk level in a particular county. The risk is determined by two key metrics: a coronavirus test positivity rate below 5% and a new per-capita case rate of fewer than 8 per 100,000.

A county that meets one of the benchmarks over a two-week period may operate at the yellow level, which happened to Dona Ana two weeks ago. A county that meets both is considered green, while those that fall short of both are red - which is where Dona Ana now finds itself.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)