NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico will fully reopen on July 1. Wednesday, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced she amended the current Public Health Order to expand to July 30. The new health order lifts all the current pandemic-related occupancy restrictions on all forms of commercial activity. However, it states that New Mexico will continue to follow CDC guidance with respect to face-coverings.
Masks will remain required for unvaccinated individuals. Most health care facilities will continue to require masking, screening for COVID-19 symptoms, limited numbers of visitors, and limited visitation times.
The unvaccinated are still required to follow the CDC guidelines, which means masks in public. The state says almost 71% of eligible New Mexicans have at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. Thursday, businesses can operate at 100% capacity, both indoor and outdoor.
“I think I’m very pleased that the majority of the state has done, made the effort to do the right thing whether you think it’s right or not, compassion plays a role protect your friends your family, protect people you don’t know,” says ABQ business owner Darryl Willison.
Businesses and local governments can still set restrictions at their discretion and health care facilities can still require masks and set rules for visitors. Now the question for kids and parents, what will school look like in the fall? The state says it’s waiting on guidelines from the CDC later this summer to announce if students will still have to wear masks.
According to the Public Health Order:
“Fully vaccinated individuals are not required to wear a mask unless otherwise recommended by the latest official guidance from the Centers for Disease Control ai1d Prevention (“CDC”). Further, fully vaccinated individuals shall not be required to socially distance from other individuals unless otherwise recommended by the latest official guidance from the CDC, in which case they must follow that guidance.”
It also states the following:
Private educational institutions serving children and young adults from pre- Kindergarten through 12th Grade, including homeschools serving children who are not household members, shall adhere to the face covering and other COVID-Safe Practices requirements for inperson instruction contained in the New Mexico’s Public Education Department’s “Reentry Guidance” and “COVID-19 Response Toolkit for New Mexico’s Public Schools,” available at https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/reentry-district-and-school-guidance/, and may operate up to maximum capacity.
Starting July 1, all businesses can operate at 100% maximum capacity. All limitations on mass gatherings are gone and businesses, large events and organizations may operate at 100% of maximum capacity, whether indoor or outdoor.
As of Tuesday, 70.7% of New Mexicans 16 years or older have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine which is about 1,187,591, the New Mexico Department of Health announced Tuesday.
