ROSWELL, N.M. (KRQE) – COVID-19 cases in southeast New Mexico continues to skyrocket. Two zip codes in Roswell were ranked number one and two in the state Sunday. So are county officials working to crackdown?
“Nobody’s wearing masks, I mean hardly people, anybody wearing masks, “said one shopper.
Positive COVID-19 numbers in Chaves County are surging, Sunday they recorded 135 positive cases. The state Health Department is shifting to a tiered system for reopening, it would mean Chaves County’s positivity rate would need to be under 5% and have less than eight cases per 100,000 people.
“It’s frustrating, it’s frustrating for me as a single parent because I have to deal with my kids, you know not being in school and my youngest who doesn’t attend school’s daycare closed,” said Vanessa Gardea a concerned resident.
Right now, Chaves County’s positivity rate is above 23%, and cases per one hundred thousand sit at 151. That means the county could be in the red for weeks. Residents said they don’t know how much longer they can handle being on lockdown.
“The fear of getting sick and then you know nobody else can take care of my kids, who else besides me, you know, if I get sick then what,” said Vanessa.
The Roswell city council held a special meeting Monday night to talk about opening up all city facilities. The resolution would direct the city manager to open all city facilities and require him to get the council’s consent before closing any facility for more than 48 hours.
