Governor announces closing of all public schools for 3 weeks

All New Mexico public schools, including those in Quay County, will be closed for three weeks beginning Monday because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a news release Thursday evening from the governor's office.

That includes public schools in Tucumcari, Logan, San Jon, House and Grady, the latter which is in Curry County but its district extends into southern Quay County.

It also means all sports events would be canceled or rescheduled during that time period, which would end Friday, April 3, said Tucumcari athletic director Wayne Ferguson, when contacted about the news by the Quay County Sun.

State health officials confirmed via testing in recent days that coronavirus has infected six people in New Mexico. The worldwide pandemic has sickened more than 120,000 people and killed more than 4,000. It also has prompted numerous other closures Thursday, including fans at the state basketball tournaments and the NCAA Tournament.

“This is a proactive measure to limit the potential community spread of COVID-19,” New Mexico Education Secretary Ryan Stewart stated in a news release from the governor's office. “We have seen other states take this measure after they have experienced community spread of this virus. New Mexico is going to be proactive and do everything we can to prevent the potential spread of the virus. I have been in communication with all of our superintendents about this proactive step, and we are all going to work together to address this public health challenge.”

“We are advising the public of this forthcoming announcement tonight so that parents and students can prepare for this upcoming change and begin to make arrangements,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said. “We will be informing the public of additional measures that the state will be taking to ease the burden on families and educators and ensure that children continue to be fed and cared for.”

Lujan Grisham was scheduled to give a news conference 10 a.m. Friday to provide more details about the three-week shutdown.