On Wednesday, Eddy County will find out if we move up to the “Turquoise” level or back down to the “Yellow” level, based on the state’s COVID-19 gating criteria. Turquoise would mean fewer restrictions and opening at a larger capacity, while Yellow would put us back at where we were a few weeks ago. Restaurants and businesses at the Turquoise level can all open at 75% of their indoor capacity.
It’s always hard to tell exactly where we are due to the ways numbers are reported, but we are very optimistic, based on the numbers we do have. The New Mexico Department of Health reported a single positive COVID-19 case for Eddy County on Monday. Based on the changes in case count, there were three other positive COVID-19 cases reported for Eddy County over Easter weekend. We will move into “Turquoise” if we can keep our average number of daily cases to below 8 per 100,000 and our average positivity rate below 5%.
Seeing the COVID-19 numbers dip over the past month has been wonderful. Let’s keep moving in that direction. If you have any specific questions about the state’s “Red to Green” framework, please visit https://cv.nmhealth.org/public-health-orders-and-executive-orders/red-to-green/
The Taxation and Revenue Department has released some formal guidance on the restaurant and bar gross receipts tax relief bill recently signed into law by the Governor. This bill, authorized by Senate Bill 1, allows many restaurants, breweries and similar businesses to choose either not to charge GRT on the deductible receipts or to charge the tax but keep the amount charged from March 1, 2021 through July 1, 2021. For more information, please visit tax.newmexico.gov and open the Bulletin 100.39 file.
Happy Birthday to Carlsbad Hall of Famer and former All American Red Head Becky Thompson. Becky has also been inducted into the Amateur Softball Association’s Hall of Fame and the National Softball Hall of Fame, but we’re most proud of her exhibit right here in Carlsbad at our museum. Check it out if you haven’t already.
Miami Marlin Trevor Rogers pitches four innings in a 4-1 loss to the Cardinals Monday night. He had a rough first inning where he gave up three runs on four walks, a double and a wild pitch. He then overcame his early jitters and pitched an outstanding three innings. It wasn’t an ideal start, but it was good to see him persist through some adversity. We look forward to future starts.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway