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• The state reported 669 new cases of COVID-19 in New Mexico and three additional deaths. But health officials also warned about strained hospital capacity. Read more here.
  • The Albuquerque Journal wrote more about the changes to testing that could lead to increased capacity in New Mexico.
  • The state Public Education Department announced 25 new cases among staff or students.
• Long-term care facilities in New Mexico are getting ready for a virus surge, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
• A group that is distributing food to those in need in northern New Mexico continues to see high demand, KRQE-TV reported.
• As cases continue to grow, Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis will not allow visitors, The Eastern New Mexico News reported.
• The changes to the state’s public health order are putting service workers in a more prominent role addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
• The New Mexico Military Institute is in a 14-day quarantine after 63 positive tests among employees or cadets, the Roswell Daily Record reported.
• The Santa Fe County administration building closed because of a positive COVID-19 test and the Archdiocese of Santa Fe said churches will stop celebrating mass in person after Sunday, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
• New Mexico In Depth wrote about how COVID-19 is disrupting the college preparations for Native American students.
• The Las Cruces City Council approved agreements with local nonprofits—but the aid was first approved in late August and the nonprofits said they could have used the money back then, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
• An Alamogordo Public Schools employee tested positive for COVID-19, but staff and parents were not informed because the district said the employee had not been on school grounds for several days, the Alamogordo Daily News reported.
• A jury trial in state district court was stopped after the nanny of one of the lawyers tested positive for COVID-19, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
• Taos County has implemented a curfew, KRQE-TV reported.
• The Navajo Agricultural Products Industry won’t have a customer appreciation day this year because of COVID-19, the Farmington Daily-Times reported.
• Another “Faith over Fear” protest defying the state public health order took place in Socorro, reported El Defensor Chieftan.
• The pastor at a megachurch in Albuquerque accused the mayor of being a communist and said worshippers should pack the church in protest of pandemic rules, KOB-TV reported.
• An upcoming Halloween party will not happen because it would violate the state’s mass gathering ban, KOB-TV reported.
• Larger box stores like Costco are still enforcing the reduced capacity limit, KRQE-TV reported. The stores haven’t seen long lines like earlier in the pandemic.
• Museums in Las Cruces will close, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported, to abide by the state’s new public health order.
• The Navajo Times reported that the online application portal for COVID-19 hardship funding will open on Nov. 2.
• A Taos Town official told residents to get their flu shot, the Taos News reported.
• The state Department of Health will host three flu shot clinics in Silver City in the coming weeks, the Silver City Sun News reported.