Governor holds health orders steady

Greatest local rise in the last two months has been in Taos and El Prado

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued no changes to existing health orders during a press conference on Thursday (Oct. 1) at which she addressed the state’s latest numbers and school reentry.

But the governor did say that cases have been trending upward in most parts throughout the state.

While the state has met all gating criteria in the past, two signs of an uptick in cases were a show of concern during the news conference on Thursday.

Health and Human Services Secretary David Scrase said that the seven-day rolling average of cases is at 171 – above the state’s recommended goal of 168 or lower. And the state’s rate of spread is currently at 1.27 – also above the state’s goal, which is set at 1.05 or below.

Lujan Grisham said that hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have also gone up – 30 percent in the last week – as those hospitalized rose from 66 last week to 86 this week.

While public education and school reentry were covered on Thursday, no changes were announced in relation to that.

New Mexico Public Education Department Secretary Ryan Stewart had mentioned he visited schools and districts around the state – including Questa Independent School District – and gathered important information in regards to how they are handling the current school year.

Stewart said that PED is working with schools and districts around the state on connectivity issues, and said the state has gotten as far as pinpointing addresses of students who may not be connected remotely.

The PED secretary also announced that $45 million has – or will be – distributed to students across the state for P-EBT benefits. He said 243,000 students across the state will be reimbursed for missed meals in both August and September.

Currently, Taos County is still in the green zone when it comes to daily case rate and test positivity.