Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Quay County didn’t go into the coveted green zone for coronavirus risk, but one of its neighbors did.
Harding County landed in the green zone by meeting the benchmarks for per-capita daily rates and test positivity rates for COVID-19 in the period from Dec. 29 to Jan. 13. That sparsely populated county saw no cases during that time period.
Harding County now will have no restrictions on essential businesses and 50% capacity on indoor dining at restaurants and many other businesses for at least the next two weeks. The next evaluation will be announced Jan. 27.
Also, neighboring Union County landed in the yellow zone, allowing it to reopen restaurants to indoor dining at 25% capacity and the loosening of other health restrictions. With an average of 22.7 daily cases per 100,000 people, Union County didn’t meet the benchmark of 8 per 100,000. However, its test-positivity rate of 3.8% met the 5% benchmark.
Quay County was one of 30 counties in New Mexico that remained in the red. Quay County’s numbers backslid since late December, with its test positivity rates rising from 6.67% to 12.88% and its daily case rate rising from 16.7 to 28.9 per 100,000 people.
According to a news release from the state’s Department of Health, Quay County saw among the worst declines in the state among both benchmarks.
Catron County, which made it into the yellow zone during the previous period, saw sharp increases in both its COVID-19 metrics. It is required to go back to the red-zone requirements by Friday.
Only 12 of New Mexico’s counties saw improvements in their metrics. Health officials had feared an uptick of COVID-19 cases after the holidays.
Here are the restrictions for Quay County’s red level:
– Essential businesses (non-retail): No capacity restrictions but must limit operations to only those absolutely necessary to carry out essential functions;
– Essential retail spaces: 25% of maximum capacity;
– Food and drink establishments: No indoor dining permitted; 25% of the maximum; capacity for outdoor dining; any establishment serving alcohol must close by 9 p.m. nightly;
– Close-contact businesses: 25% of maximum capacity or 10 customers at one time, whichever is smaller;
– Outdoor recreational facilities: 25% of maximum capacity (unless required to have less capacity under the state’s COVID-Safe Practices);
– Close-contact recreational facilities: Remain closed;
– All other businesses: 25% of maximum capacity or 75 customers at one time, whichever is smaller;
– Churches: May hold religious services, indoors or outdoors, or provide services through audiovisual means, but may not exceed 25% of the maximum capacity of any enclosed space on the premises;
– Places of lodging: 40% of maximum occupancy for those that have completed NM Safe Certified training; 25% of maximum occupancy for all others; 5 guests maximum for vacation rentals;
– Mass gatherings limit: 5 persons, 10 vehicles.