We hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and Thanksgiving break. As one immediate reminder, school is back in session on Nov. 30, which means online classes have resumed for most Carlsbad students.
As discussed on Sunday, New Mexico’s newest public health order is going into effect on Wednesday, establishing a “Red to Green” framework for re-opening based on the positivity rate of COVID-19 cases and cases per 100,000. There will also be a Governor’s press conference on Monday afternoon.
The City of Carlsbad will be re-opening its golf course, sports complex and tennis courts beginning on Wednesday morning. These facilities will be opened at 25 percent capacity. We are currently re-evaluating some other facilities and will keep you updated as we understand more of the health order.
There were 19 new positive COVID-19 cases announced for Eddy County on Sunday, which is the lowest single-day total we’ve had in some time. However, there were 94 positives announced on Saturday, which is the highest daily total for our county. Please continue to help us reduce the spread of COVID-19 by avoiding large gatherings and wearing face coverings to the store and other locations.
As we move into December, members of our arts and culture community have been busy creating some options for celebrating the holiday. The library’s Beth Nieman will be teaching a DIY “Holiday Night Lights” class at 2 p.m. Friday. You can view this class through Creative Carlsbad’s “Create Art, Cultivate Joy,” Facebook page. There will also be a Christmas Tie Die course at 1 p.m. Dec. 6 put on by Esque Boutique.
The organizers of the “Spooktacular Things to See in Carlsbad” page have reorganized their Facebook page into a “Hometown Holidays in Carlsbad” page. The new page now includes Christmas trivia, games and prizes, as well as maps of local light displays. There’s a beautiful video of one of the administrators driving by the Halagueno Arts Park and filming all of the wonderful decorations there.
If you are looking for some more inspiration, KOB did a wonderful story about the donations Albertsons made to local charities last week. Please check out this video of David Beaty and how his team and numerous local charities worked together. Another one of our amazing local nonprofits, the Carlsbad Community of Hope Center, also served a Thanksgiving meal to some of our most needy citizens. Thanks as always to Robert and Patricia Jaquez for providing food, shelter, faith and opportunity to so many residents in need. The Trinity Hotel served 586 meals during their generous event last week. Congratulations to the Balzano family and thank you from the entire community.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway