Officials cautiously optimistic on virus

New Mexico's governor on Monday extended her public health emergency order to April 30 and added restrictions to combat the coronavirus pandemic, including limiting occupancy in essential businesses.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's order stated essential businesses — including grocery stores — must limit occupancy to 20% or less of the maximum occupancy of the retail space.

Several New Mexico businesses had imposed their own limits before her order. The Family Dollar store in Tucumcari, for example, limited inside customers to five with an employee monitoring the door.

Maximum occupancy at hotels, motels, RV parks and other places was reduced to 25%, down from the previous 50%.

Automobile dealerships, payday lenders and liquor stores were reclassified as non-essential businesses and must close.

State officials in a Friday briefing noted encouraging signs about the growth rate of coronavirus cases, giving cautious optimism efforts to slow the pandemic’s spread were working. The state was among the bottom two or three states in the growth of infections.

They also projected hospitals would reach full capacity of COVID-19 patients by late April to early May.

The state Department of Health confirmed 686 cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths as of Monday afternoon, with 48 currently hospitalized and 133 recovered. More than 19,000 people have been tested for the disease.

No cases had been reported in Quay County. A total of 25 people had been tested at Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari by Monday, according to a spokeswoman.

Nationwide, more than 362,000 cases and 10,000 deaths had been confirmed. The number of cases globally surged past 1.3 million.

State officials encouraged but did not require residents wear masks in public. Officials said during the Friday briefing homemade masks are OK to use and N95 medical-grade masks should only be used by medical workers.

Those recommendations mirror guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both groups said masks don’t replace social distancing and hand washing.

The state needs more than 1,200 hospital beds, 1,500 intensive-care beds and 1,000 ventilators to cover the anticipated surge of illnesses, they said.

President Donald Trump on Sunday declared New Mexico a disaster area because of the pandemic, making the state eligible for federal aid during recovery efforts.

The Department of Public Health office at 310 S. Second St. in Tucumcari hosts drive-through testing for COVID-19 from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays. A referral from a provider or the agency is preferred. Call 575-461-2610 for an appointment or information.

New Mexicans with questions about COVID-19 can call its coronavirus hotline at 855-600-3453.

The state urged small businesses in financial distress because of the pandemic to apply for federal stimulus loans through the Small Business Administration as soon as possible at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.

Two loan programs for small businesses exist under the stimulus bill: the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program and the Paycheck Protection Program.

Under the Economic Injury program, a small business can borrow up to $2 million, with an immediate grant advance up to $10,000 that can be distributed within three days.

Under the Paycheck program, a small business can borrow up to $10 million at an interest rate of 1%. The loan is deferrable for six months.

Other developments

• Organizers canceled the New Mexico Music Showcase, scheduled for early June at the Tucumcari Convention Center. The fourth annual event, which had Albuquerque’s Severo Y Grupo Fuego as the headliner, will resume in 2021. It was the second Tucumcari festival this year to postpone or cancel. Rawhide Days, set for May, has been postponed.

• The closure of New Mexico state parks, including Ute Lake State Park in Logan and Conchas Lake State Park, was extended through April 30. A chuckwagon cook-off scheduled for April 24-26 at Ute Lake was canceled.

• Mesalands Community College announced its campus would be closed and events canceled through April 30. Students will complete courses online.

• Yvette Peacock, co-owner of Del’s Restaurant in Tucumcari, announced a “heartbreaking” decision to lay off 18 employees. She stated on Facebook the restaurant had seen 50% fewer customers since New Mexico restaurants were restricted to delivery or carryout.

• The Quay County Clerk’s office will be open 8 a.m. to noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday for critical services only. Those who need immediate assistance or an appointment should call 575-461-0510.

• More local churches switched to prerecorded or streamed services online. That included St. Anne’s Catholic Church, which livestreamed its Mass for Palm Sunday.

• Tucumcari’s Blue Swallow Motel will extend its closure to April 30. The owners previously announced they would close until mid-April, then reassess whether to reopen.

• The Logan school board announced all meetings would be canceled until further notice.