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• The state Department of Health reported 541 new cases of COVID-19 (including 101 in Chaves County, the most in that county since December) on Thursday. The department also reported 18 additional deaths related to the disease. As of Thursday, there were 371 individuals hospitalized for COVID-19.
• Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will leave the state of New Mexico for the first time since the start of the pandemic, when she travels to Washington D.C. to meet with President Joe Biden along with a small, bipartisan group of governors and mayors to discuss state and local aid as part of a COVID-19 relief package.
  • The Biden administration also said it would meet with Indigenous leaders to discuss (among other things) COVID-19, Axios reported.
• The Navajo Nation has vaccinated 44.5 percent of residents of the reservation—and one hospital has even started vaccinating anyone over the age of 18, the Navajo Times reported.
• A significant winter storm is expected to hit northern and central New Mexico this weekend, bringing with it extremely low temperatures. Previous winter storms have disrupted testing in the state, it’s unclear what this will do for testing and vaccination efforts.
• The state Environment Department launched a webform for businesses to complete the rapid response process, KRQE-TV reported.
• State and local economists said during an online conference put on by New Mexico State University that they think New Mexico will experience a longer recovery than much of the country, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
  • The Albuquerque International Sunport has seen a bigger drop in travel during the pandemic than the national average, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
• El Defensor Chieftan wrote that a vaccine clinic is being held every Thursday at the Rodeo and Fairgrounds.
• Officials in Doña Ana County believe they aren’t receiving enough doses of COVID-19; the county ranks 30th out of the state’s 33 counties when it comes to per capita doses administered, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
• Lincoln County is in the middle of county rankings for vaccinations per capita, the Ruidoso News reported.
• Bars and other non-essential close-contact businesses are unable to open still, KRQE-TV reported.
• Two Taos Ski Valley ski instructors wrote in the Taos News about the impact of COVID-19 on the ski area.
• The Shop breakfast and Lunch in Albuquerque will not reopen indoor dining until the staff is vaccinated, KOB-TV reported.
• Middle and high school students at Farmington Municipal Schools returned to class as part of hybrid learning, the Farmington Daily Times reported.
• Belen Consolidated Schools will have elementary school students return to class on March 1, while middle and high school students will return on March 22, the Valencia County News-Bulletin reported.
  • The paper also reported that the district approved the purchase of internet hotspots for remote learning.
• Saccarino Middle School also returned to in-person learning, Socorro’s El Defensor Chieftan reported.
• The state asked for patience for those who are experiencing delays with unemployment benefits, which have been expanded because of the COVID-19 pandemic, KUNM-FM reported.
• Doña Ana County tenants and landlords can apply for financial assistance for past due rent and utility bills, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.