ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The governor just announced restaurants can start serving customers in outdoor seating, starting May 27. But, even with developments like this, New Mexico is still among a dozen states on the tail-end of the reopening movement. It won’t be until June 1 at the earliest that people could see salons and gyms opening, and restaurants allowing diners inside.
“I think we’re going a little too slow compared to other states,” Nathan Wrobbel of Albuquerque added.
In the New York Times’ map of how all 50 states are reopening, New Mexico is shown among the dozen states on the back end, still with active stay-at-home orders and partial reopenings. Arizona, Colorado, and Texas are all further along. Covidexitstrategy.org is also showing New Mexico among the states in yellow for robust testing and available hospital space.
New Mexico Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase acknowledges we can’t continue our current way of living for another 18 months until there’s a vaccine. Scrase said he’s not seeing encouraging data from other states that have reopened at least two weeks ahead of us.
“I think most places that reopened – the public overreacts, goes out, doesn’t protect themselves,” Dr. Scrase said. “The spread rate goes up and then they have to kind of do some other measures to bring it back down.”
On Tuesday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the state is still on target for the next phase of reopening on June 1. Under the revised public health order, restaurants can start serving customers at outdoor tables starting Wednesday. Tables must be spaced at least six feet apart; no more than six diners can be at a table at a time, and no bar or counter seating is allowed.
