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- The number of COVID-19 test positive cases reached 7,800 residents Monday and one of the six additional deaths was an inmate at Otero County Prison Facility, the first in a prison or jail in the state. Read our story here.
- Navajo Nation health officials announced 131 new cases of COVID-19 for the Navajo Nation and two additional deaths. This brings the total number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic to 5,479 on the Navajo Nation, with 248 deaths. The health officials say approximately 1,920 of the cases have recovered.
- A third member of one family on the Alamo Navajo Reservation in Socorro County died of COVID-19 complications, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
- Meanwhile, New Mexico In Depth reported that the population in county jails has dropped precipitously, for a number of reasons, even as the prison populations remain high.
- Indoor dining at restaurants returned in New Mexico, but people in some areas of the state, at least, aren’t rushing to dine out, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
- Some workers at restaurants have been rehired, KRQE-TV reported.
- Some Navajo Nation casinos are readying increased security measures as they prepare to reopen in a couple of weeks, KRQE-TV reported.
- Another impact of the COVID-19 is the financial consequences of not playing athletic games, even for high schools, the Farmington Daily Times reported.
- JetBlue temporarily stopped flights between the Albuquerque International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City because of low demand, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
- The Fiesta de Santa Fe will not take place this year, the latest event to be canceled due to COVID-19 in the state capital, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
- New Mexico’s unemployment hit 11.3 percent in April, as the most restrictive portions of the state law public health order went into effect. The surrounding states all had higher unemployment rates, except Colorado, which had the same rate as New Mexico; the national rate was 14.7 percent.
- The Las Cruces City Council struck down an emergency proclamation by the city’s mayor that would have imposed more strict rules than the statewide public health order, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
- The city will vote on mask requirements on Friday, the paper reported.
- The Las Cruces Sun-News spoke to an 81-year old who survived COVID-19.
- Navajo Lakes State Park in San Juan County was one of the state parks that fully reopened on Monday, the Farmington Daily Times reported.
- The U.S. Small Business Administration said that disaster loans are now available for farmers and ranchers.
- Fitness studios remain closed, even as traditional gyms reopened, KRQE-TV reported.
