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• The big news from Thursday was the governor saying that any further opening of the economy in the state would be on hold until metrics start to improve again. The message from the governor and officials on how people can help: Wear a mask. Read more here.
  • You can watch the entire press conference here.
• The press conference came on the same day that the state announced more than 200 new cases of COVID-19, and five additional deaths related to the disease, including 60 in Bernalillo County. See more details here.
• The state is slowly filling contact tracer positions, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. Contact tracing is one of the gating criteria for the state to expand its reopening, as it can help people know if they’ve come into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier.
• Navajo Nation health officials announced 121 new cases of COVID-19, the most cases in a single day since June 10, according to the Navajo Times’ tracker. The Nation also announced one additional death. There are now 7,278 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including approximately 3,859 recoveries, and 348 deaths related to the disease for the Navajo Nation.
• Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer was criticized for attending a Trump campaign event in Phoenix, the Navajo Times reported. He said he wore both an N95 mask and a cloth mask.
• The funeral for a Navajo Nation police officer who died after contracting COVID-19 took place on Thursday, KOB-TV reported.
• The Albuquerque Journal reported that the company that runs two private prison facilities in southern New Mexico announced 28 employees had tests positive. Most of the inmates at one, the Otero County Prison Facility, have tested positive; three federal inmates are currently hospitalized for the disease.
• The state Department of Health warned worshippers at Calvary Chapel New Harvest Church in Los Lunas that they were exposed to COVID-19. An employee tested positive, but the church remained open.
• Among the seven new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Luna County were four at the Mizkan American food processing plant in Deming, the Deming Headlight reported. The plant is the nation’s largest producer of packaged chile and jalapeño peppers, the paper reported.
• Alamogordo Public Schools officials discussed what the 2020-2010 school year could look like under COVID-19 restrictions, the Alamogordo Daily News reported.
  • The Ruidoso Municipal School Board approved the purchase of UV robots to help clean area schools, the Ruidoso News reported.
• Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller announced the city would waive some fees, and replace the revenue with federal funds, for businesses to help them cope with COVID-19, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
• A Walgreens in Las Cruces was closed for cleaning for the second time after an employee was under evaluation for COVID-19, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
• More people are taking trips by car over airline travel, AAA said.
• The Las Cruces Sun-News wrote about how COVID-safe restrictions are changing the way area restaurants do business, including expanded patio service.
• The City of Albuquerque is looking at alternatives for the Balloon Fiesta after the event was canceled, KOB-TV reported.
  • The governor said there would be an announcement on Friday about the fate of this year’s State Fair, but appeared to hint that it would be canceled as well.
• The Albuquerque Journal wrote about the precautions, and testing, of athletes at the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University as they attend summer practices.