City of Carlsbad Coronavirus Update: 8-23-20
On Monday, New Mexico Department of Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel announced a new public health emergency “stay-at-home” public health order, which goes into effect at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
The order closes all non-essential businesses, requiring 100 percent of the state’s non-essential workforce to work from home. All New Mexicans are directed to stay home except as needed to maintain continuity of functions critical to public health and safety. The City will have to close our golf course, parks, playgrounds and shooting range to remain in compliance with this new order.
We are doing our very best to clarify all aspects of this with the Governor’s office as quickly as possible. For more information on who qualifies as essential and nonessential, please visit https://cv.nmhealth.org/travel-recommendations/.
We will continue posting more information to our web page and Facebook as soon as it becomes available.
It’s vitally important to stress that even in a “stay-at-home” order, essential utilities and services will still be provided and people will still be allowed to go out for groceries and other supplies. Residents are still allowed to go outdoors. Restaurants may remain open for delivery and carry-out, according to the state. The order also further restricts “mass gatherings” of five or more individuals in outdoor spaces.
According to a March 23 press release by New Mexico state health officials, there are now 83 COVID-19 positive tests in New Mexico, including four new cases in Chaves County. We have received no positive tests for Eddy County.
Lea County and Lovington officials did a great job handling the situation when a positive case of coronavirus was identified this weekend in Lea County. Proper procedures were followed both before and after the identification, which meant the individual and his family members were quickly isolated to protect further spread and protect the public.
Additionally, blogger Joe Monahan reports that the two cases in Socorro County, among the first to be reported in New Mexico, are feeling fine and that their symptoms were very mild. By this weekend, 5,386 tests have been conducted statewide. 5,321 were negative. 65 were positive.
Residents who report symptoms of COVID-19 infection, such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath, should call their health care provider or the NMDOH COVID-19 hotline immediately (1-855-600-3453). People without those symptoms do not need to be tested for COVID-19. There’s a long road ahead, but the procedures in place are making a huge difference in slowing the spread across New Mexico. Our essential city services, such as water, utilities and transit, are not being interrupted. Please let us know how we can be of additional assistance.
Carlsbad Municipal Schools has asked us to let everyone know that the school lunch program is continuing through Spring Break and for as long as this closure is place. The program did NOT stop because Spring Break is going on. Thank you!
More positive news comes from members of our church community, who are working together to help all of Carlsbad’s churches broadcast to their members at home. Thousands of Carlsbad residents tuned in throughout the weekend to celebrate their faith in God. Some local residents are also putting teddy bears in their windows, so that people going out for walks each day can “go on a bear hunt.”
Seeing our residents come together to support our small businesses has also been inspiring. Many businesses are still offering takeout orders. As we’ve mentioned before, if you have a positive story to report about people helping each other, please report it to us to share here.
Thank you again and we will continue updates throughout the week.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway