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- On Friday, the state Department of Health announced 133 additional cases of COVID-19 and nine additional deaths. See the details here, including an update on the number of total tests and why it was downgraded. The state will pass 7,500 cases by Saturday and likely 350 deaths by the end of the weekend.
- Nursing homes are hotspots for COVID-19; but nursing homes fought federal emergency plan requirements for years, Pro Publica, New Mexico In Depth and The News & Observer reported.
- Navajo Nation health officials announced 101 new cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths. The Navajo Nation said that they also reconciled their data with states and now the number of deaths on the Navajo Nation is 231. The total number of cases are 5,145 and 1,796 residents have recovered.
- Businesses will have to enforce COVID-safe practices, which won’t be easy, KRQE-TV reported.
- The state is setting up a task force to create a plan for safely reopening Albuquerque schools this fall, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
- The City of Las Cruces is issuing stricter rules on local businesses than will be in the state’s public health order that goes into effect June 1, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported. This includes indoor dining at 25 percent capacity.
- A former restaurant owner said former Gov. Bill Richardson urged Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to speak to restaurant owners, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
- Holy Cross Medical Center reported 13 new cases of COVID-19, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
- A family member of a Clovis police officer tested positive for COVID-19, The Eastern New Mexico News reported.
- A Dial-a-Ride employee in Las Cruces tested positive for COVID-19, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported. The service offers rides for senior citizens and those with disabilities, but it’s unclear what role the employee had with the program.
- DOH data showed that more than 150 health care workers tested positive for COVID-19 through April 21, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
- The Indian Health Service is getting more funds to address COVID-19, the Farmington Daily Times reported.
- New Mexico’s two largest four-year universities are looking to survey those over the age of 18 about food insecurity during the pandemic, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
- People in New Mexico flocked to patios for dine-in service, KRQE-TV reported.
- Gallup businesses are looking forward to reopening on Monday, KOB-TV reported.
- A small studio owner is frustrated that the new relaxed rules won’t allow the studio to have fitness classes, KOB-TV reported.
- Otero County’s COVID-19 emergency declaration remains in place in Otero County despite an effort to rescind it by controversial county commission Couy Griffin. Griffin said he didn’t realize that the county needed to declare a public emergency to get federal aid, the Alamogordo Daily News reported.
- The Santa Fe Reporter spoke to massage therapists who are nervous about reopening.
- The Town of Taos is facing a $2 million budget deficit, the Taos News reported.
- A concert in Carlsbad could defy the governor’s COVID-19 orders, the Carlsbad Current-Argus reported.
- Some businesses think the qualifications for Paycheck Protection Program loans to be forgiven are too stringent, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
- Elective surgical procedures started again at Lincoln County Medical Center, the Ruidoso News reported.
- A factory in Belen has shifted to making thousands of face shields, KOB-TV reported.