New Mexico COVID-19 Cases: 6,192

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham rejects GOP state senators' call to fully re-open the state this week

New Mexico health officials today reported 104 new positive COVID-19 test results, bringing the total number of cases thus far to 6,192. McKinley County had the most new cases: 35, followed by San Juan County with 34. Santa Fe County had two new cases reported today.

The state also announced six additional deaths: five residents in San Juan County who were residents at congregate living facilities, and one person in McKinley County. The total number of COVID-19 deaths so far has been 276.

As of today, 204 people are hospitalized*. The health department has designated 1,882 COVID-19 cases as recovered.

Details on the new cases and fatalities are available at the end of this story.

The latest figures arrived on the heels of a letter sent yesterday by 13 Republican state senators to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham calling on her to lift all current restrictions put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to fully reopen the state by 8 am Thursday morning.

The current health order, which went into effect last Saturday, reopens all retail businesses, as well as offices, at 25% capacity. Higher-contact businesses such as restaurants, gyms and salons could open in June if the state meets "gating" criteria for lowered rates of transmission, testing and other factors. All open businesses are required to comply with statewide COVID-19 safety practices.

While acknowledging the spread of the novel coronavirus has been "serious," the Republican senators' letter says that nonetheless, the "effects of the COVID-19 virus have not risen to the levels initially thought by many experts and leaders both nationally and statewide. Common sense would dictate a rational measured response to what we now know about the spread of this virus and the data available to us."

Noting the economic downturn as a result of COVID-19 closures, as well as the fall of the oil and gas industry, the letter says that "any extensions to these orders now cause damage to New Mexico the likes of which cannot be estimated in severity or duration. The time to act is now."

The letter asks for a response by 8 am tomorrow and a lifting of all orders by 8 am Thursday.

The governor beat that deadline and responded today in some fair detail, dismantling the senators' contention that the "effects" of the pandemic "have not risen to the levels initially thought."

She writes:

"I am unaware of any public health experts who view 90,000 deaths—and rising every day—as a mild or moderate outcome."

Noting that "grieving families in New Mexico who have lost a loved one" are unlikely to consider the outcome of this virus "primarily a tragedy of 'economic shortfall,' as you put it," the governor also reminded the GOP senators that "these are your constituents as well as mine." She also points out that the so-called mild "effects" experienced thus far "are attributable to the decisive and early actions I took to protect New Mexicans and thus alter the initial trajectory of the virus."

Moreover, she notes the lack of "reporting or study of any public health experts or any scientific or epidemiological leaders" in the state senators' letter, surmising "that is because no public health expert or epidemiologist could or would or does support what you describe as a simple 'common sense' approach to this unprecedented public health crisis—an approach that would be better described as utter failure and unflinching surrender to the virus ravaging our communities, your communities, those you represent, whether you believe in the danger of this disease or not."

The governor's letter goes on pointedly to say that New Mexico's "relative success in combating this virus" is due to her administration's "strong steps to protect New Mexicans from precisely the kind of proudly anti-scientific bluster and misjudgment encapsulated in your letter."

Their letter, she adds, with its "reckless demand for a full-scale 're-opening'…serves only to inflame misinformed public opinion, which is to risk further illness and likely death, death that will be lonely and all the more tragic because it was and is within our power to prevent."

New cases

  • 9 new cases in Bernalillo County
  • 5 new cases in Cibola County
  • 2 new cases in Curry County
  • 11 new cases in Doña Ana County
  • 35 new cases in McKinley County
  • 3 new cases in Sandoval County
  • 34 new cases in San Juan County
  • 2 new cases in Santa Fe County
  • 1 new case in Torrance County
  • 1 new case among individuals held by federal agencies at the Otero County Prison Facility
  • 1 new case among individuals held by the New Mexico Corrections Department at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County

New fatalities

  • A female in her 60s from McKinley County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
  • A male in his 50s from San Juan County who was hospitalized, had underlying conditions and was a resident of the Cedar Ridge Inn facility in Farmington.
  • A male in his 70s from San Juan County who had underlying conditions and was a resident of Life Care Center of Farmington in Farmington.
  • A female in her 80s from San Juan County who had underlying conditions and was a resident of Life Care Center of Farmington in Farmington.
  • A second female in her 80s from San Juan County who had underlying conditions and was a resident of Life Care Center of Farmington in Farmington.
  • A female in her 90s from San Juan County who had underlying conditions and was a resident of Life Care Center of Farmington in Farmington.

Congregate facilities

The Department of Health has identified at least one positive COVID-19 case in residents and/or staff at the following facilities:
  • Advanced Health Care of Albuquerque in Albuquerque
  • Albuquerque Heights Healthcare and Rehab in Albuquerque
  • Aztec Health Care in Aztec
  • Beehive Homes in Farmington
  • Bonney Family Home in Gallup
  • Brio Assisted Living in Albuquerque
  • Cedar Ridge Inn in Farmington
  • Central Desert Behavioral Health in Albuquerque
  • Clayton Nursing and Rehab in Clayton
  • Dungarvin New Mexico, LLC in Gallup
  • Haciendas of Grace Village in Las Cruces
  • Heartland Continuing Care Center in Portales
  • Ladera Center in Albuquerque
  • Las Palomas Center in Albuquerque
  • La Vida Llena in Albuquerque
  • Legacy Santa Fe in Santa Fe
  • Life Care Center of Farmington in Farmington
  • Little Sisters of the Poor in Gallup
  • McKinley Care Center in Gallup
  • MorningStar Assisted Living & Memory Care of Santa Fe in Santa Fe
  • Namaste House Assisted Living in Farmington
  • The Neighborhood in Rio Rancho
  • Pacifica Senior Living Center Santa Fe in Santa Fe
  • Red Rocks Care Center in Gallup
  • Retirement Ranches, Inc. in Clovis
  • Robin House Assisted Living Center in Albuquerque
  • Sandia Ridge Center in Albuquerque
  • Spanish Trails Rehabilitation Suites in Albuquerque
  • Sundance Care Home in Gallup
  • Taos Living Center in Taos
  • Tohatchi Area Opportunity Services (TAOS) in Tohatchi
  • Tungland Corporation in Farmington
  • Uptown Genesis in Albuquerque
  • The Village at Alameda in Albuquerque
  • Wellbrook Transitional Rehabilitation Center in Farmington

Statewide cases

According to a health department news release, previously reported numbers included three cases that were determined to be out-of-state residents: one in Bernalillo County and two in San Juan County. Four cases were identified as duplicates: one in Bernalillo County, one in Doña Ana County, one in McKinley County, and one among individuals held by federal agencies at the Otero County Prison Facility. One case in Taos County was determined to be a false positive. These have been corrected for the following statewide list.

  • Bernalillo County: 1,225
  • Catron County: 2
  • Chaves County: 31
  • Cibola County: 108
  • Colfax County: 5
  • Curry County: 43
  • Doña Ana County: 319
  • Eddy County: 17
  • Grant County: 16
  • Guadalupe County: 19
  • Harding County: 1
  • Hidalgo County: 1
  • Lea County: 18
  • Lincoln County: 3
  • Los Alamos County: 6
  • Luna County: 8
  • McKinley County: 1,987
  • Otero County: 8
  • Quay County: 5
  • Rio Arriba County: 33
  • Roosevelt County: 27
  • Sandoval County: 498
  • San Juan County: 1,408
  • San Miguel County: 10
  • Santa Fe County: 126
  • Sierra County: 1
  • Socorro County: 49
  • Taos County: 22
  • Torrance County: 19
  • Union County: 3
  • Valencia County: 68

State prisoners

  • Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County: 1
  • Otero County Prison Facility: 21

Federal prisoners:

  • Cibola County Correctional Center: 2
  • Otero County Prison Facility: 38
  • Otero County Processing Center: 43
  • Torrance County Detention Facility: 1

*Per the health department, hospitalization figures include people who tested positive elsewhere but are hospitalized in New Mexico, but do not include people who tested positive here but are hospitalized out of state.

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