July 8, 2020

Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (7/8/20 edition)

This morning recap of COVID-19 news from New Mexico is available in a free email every weekday. Sign up here. See all of our COVID-19 coverage here. New Mexico health officials announced 221 additional COVID-19 cases and four additional deaths as the state’s streak of days with more than 200 new confirmed cases reached six. See […]

Matthew Reichbach

This morning recap of COVID-19 news from New Mexico is available in a free email every weekday. Sign up here.

See all of our COVID-19 coverage here.

New Mexico health officials announced 221 additional COVID-19 cases and four additional deaths as the state’s streak of days with more than 200 new confirmed cases reached six. See more details here.
Universities in New Mexico responded to a new rule from ICE that would bar international students from getting visas to attend universities or colleges if they have online-only courses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. See the story here.
Col. David Miller told KOB-TV the number of COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks on Kirtland Air Force Base exceeded the number in the previous four months.
Navajo Nation health officials announced on Tuesday 27 new COVID-10 cases and one additional death related to the disease. This brings the total to 7,941 cases on the Navajo Nation, including 5,650 who have recovered and 379 deaths.
The Navajo Nation president approved a bill that would spend $52 million in CARES Act funding, the Albuquerque Journal reported. He also line-item vetoed $73 million in spending; the Navajo Nation government has more than $662 million in funding from the federal legislation left.
The Legislative Council voted unanimously to have attorneys investigate if the governor’s emergency expenditures spending were legal, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
New Mexico State University reported 20 more athletes or staff members tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. Another 135 tests came back negative.
The U.S. District Court in Albuquerque extended its suspension of trials through July, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
Some Santa Fe Public Schools teachers are concerned about a “hybrid” plan for returning to school this fall, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
Curry County Commissioner Seth Martin said he would not wear a mask, The Eastern New Mexico News reported. The paper reported he said, “If you’re fearful of it, I encourage you to wear your mask to protect yourself from me because I’m not going to protect you from myself. … I do believe this is a personal choice, and I hope people do what they are comfortable with and stay healthy.”
Curry County has the ninth-most number of cases per capita, with over 40 percent of the cases coming in the last two weeks.
An athlete at Loving High School tested positive for COVID-19, the Carlsbad Current-Argus reported.
U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small cosponsored legislation called the “Preventing China form Exploiting COVID-19 Act.” Torres Small is part of the Blue Dog caucus, made up of conservative Democrats.
“This is a time when countries should be coming together to fight the spread of COVID-19, not exploiting breakdowns in supply chains or a shortage of critical equipment like masks, gloves and gowns in order to advance their own national security interests,” Torres Small said in a statement. “This is unacceptable, and the United States must be able to hold China accountable if it continues.”
The Ruidoso News wrote about Lincoln County Medical Center’s efforts to provide free meals for children.
The board of directors for the Southern New Mexico State Fair & Rodeo canceled this year’s event, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported on the controversy over a court reopening for a murder trial in a killing that took place in 2018.
KOB-TV reported that the governor’s office said there is no connection between protests and the state’s increase in COVID-19 cases. That’s the same thing the governor and state officials said during their weekly COVID-19 press conference last week.
Balloon Fiesta Park will host a series of drive-in events this summer, KRQE-TV reported.
The Farmington Daily Times reported that the Farmington Indian Center will be closed until further notice while the staff have been assigned to the Bonnie Dallas Senior Center, after a senior center employee was possibly exposed to someone who had COVID-19.
The City of Santa Fe delayed the opening of the Genoveva Chavez Community Center, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
In response to a former employee saying the chain wasn’t doing enough to protect employees from COVID-19, a manager invited KOB-TV to see its current practices.
The Albuquerque-based nonprofit AMP Concerts is looking to help local artists and bands while the live entertainment industry has shut down during COVID-19, the Daily Lobo reported.
The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque is putting together plans to reopen, KOB-TV reported.

Correction: This story originally said that a staff member at the Bonnie Dallas Senior Center in Farmington had tested positive for COVID-19; the employee was possibly exposed to someone with COVID-19.