New Mexico’s governor issued an order last week effective Monday that restaurants again will be barred from offering indoor dining because of a rise in coronavirus cases there.
Visitors to the Land of Enchantment also should be aware of more aggressive enforcement of its mask mandate. Those who aren’t wearing face coverings in public are subject to a $100 fine.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham had barred restaurants and breweries from indoor services several weeks ago because of COVID-19. She eased those restrictions in early June but reimposed them again after seeing increases in the number of cases and spread rates of the disease.
If you’re traveling Route 66, you’ll have to get your meals by delivery or takeout. The few restaurants that offer patio dining can serve meals in those areas at 50% occupancy, as well.
The neighboring states of Arizona and Texas in recent weeks also have seen sharp increases of COVID-19 and have imposed new restrictions on businesses there.
Coronavirus has killed more than 500 people in New Mexico. In the U.S., the number of confirmed cases was more than 3.2 million, with more than 134,000 deaths as of Saturday night.
(Image of Del’s Restaurant in Tucumcari, New Mexico, by Stu Ripley via Flickr)
GOOD! I’m in NM now and people here are not taking the virus threat seriously. I visit the gas station in Wagon Mound about daily, and they have about four signs on the door barring anyone not wearing a mask. Yet there is a constant stream of idiots without masks. I got so fed up that I finally yelled at a family that read the signs, debated the matter briefly, and entered without masks. What the F?
Restaurants are the worst. People HAVE to take their masks off to eat, so they make no effort whatsoever to wear a mask. One place in Springer,NM heard that ventilation is important, so they set up several box fans to stir up the air in the dining room and distribute the virus equally among all patrons. Dipshits, what you need is ventilation EXHAUSTING air and replacing it with fresh air.
People are too damn stupid to navigate this hazard on their own. I’m glad the state is shutting down venues where risk is extreme.