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See all of our COVID-19 coverage here.
- In a press conference on Thursday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced some easing of COVID-19 restrictions on youth activities. Read about them here.
- If you want to watch the press conference, see the video here.
- Here are the stories on the new loosened restrictions from the Albuquerque Journal, Santa Fe New Mexican, Santa Fe Reporter and the Las Cruces Sun-News.
- The owners of McCall’s Pumpkin Patch in Moriarty aren’t happy with the governor’s orders on reopening, KOB-TV reported.
- A lawsuit led by a Republican state representative is challenging the state’s rules that bar some school districts from opening because of high rates of COVID-19 in their counties, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
- While the governor said she is “cautiously optimistic” that college basketball will be able to restart, University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University basketball teams are not currently able to practice because of the state’s public health order, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
- The City of Santa Fe plans to buy a motel to provide COVID-safe housing for homeless people in the city, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
- On Thursday, the state of New Mexico reported 159 new cases of COVID-19 and 4 additional deaths related to the disease. See which counties had the most newly reported cases.
- The Las Cruces Sun-News wrote about the state’s multi-agency effort to address complaints about nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
- Indoor movie theaters will remain closed under the state’s new public health order, KOB-TV reported.
- Hundreds of employees, including teachers at Santa Fe Public Schools have asked to stay at home or shift hours when the districts shifts to a hybrid model, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
- An employee of the Curry County Sheriff’s Office tested positive for COVID-19, KRQE-TV reported.
- COVID-19 vaccine trials are starting on the Navajo Nation, the Navajo Times reported.
- Socorro County’s El Defensor Chieftan wrote about the return to in-person learning as part of the hybrid model.
- The Navajo Nation has spent $4.9 million in CARES Act funding so far according to the Office of the Controller, the Navajo Times reported.
- The Chaves County Board of Commissioners spoke about distributing CARES Act small business grants, the Roswell Daily Record reported.
- The Grant County Commission spoke about CARES Act funding and the balance of tourism versus public safety and more, the Silver City Daily Press reported.
- The Village of Tularosa’s mayor said they didn’t apply for CARES Act funding because it would be a loan that would need to be paid back, the Alamogordo Daily News reported.
- Racinos in the state want the governor to reconsider the public health order that keeps them closed, even as tribal casinos have reopened the Santa Fe New Mexican reported; casinos on trial and pueblo land do not have to abide by the state’s public health order.
- The Valencia News-Bulletin wrote about the protest in Belen by churches over COVID-19 restrictions.
- The San Miguel Fiesta in Socorro will be canceled this year, but the church will hold a raffle according to El Defensor Chieftan.
- The Voice winner Chevel Shepherd will hold a drive-in show in Albuquerque, the Farmington Daily Times reported.