New Mexico’s governor announced she was imposing up to a 14-day quarantine for all travelers coming into the state until at least July 15 to tamp down a coronavirus surge there.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said during the health briefing Wednesday she was deeply troubled by a higher COVID-19 caseload in her state and big spikes of the disease in neighboring Texas and Arizona that threatened to spill over. About 10% of all COVID-19 cases in New Mexico come from people who’d traveled outside of the state.
The amended health order contains some exemptions, but they’re likely not to be relevant to Route 66 travelers: airline workers, those performing public safety of public health functions, military personnel, federal employees, those employed by a federal agency or national defense contractor, first responders, healthcare workers, those required to be in the state because of a court order, essential workers and those traveling into the state for business activities.
New Mexico months ago already had imposed a 14-day quarantine for all travelers who flew into the state.
Lujan Grisham said she wanted to temporarily discourage travel to and from the state; data indicate a strong correlation to the disease’s spread and travel.
The quarantine obviously holds implications for Route 66’s motels in the state. Anyone who comes into the Land of Enchantment would have to hole up on a motel room for up to two weeks or whenever the amended health order expires. Those who travel to New Mexico have to self-isolate during the duration of their stay for up to 14 days.
The governor also said the state would more aggressively enforce a mandate to wear masks in public after seeing “lax” efforts at compliance. Businesses also are required to make sure customers wear masks when they enter. Failure to do so could lead to a $100 fine. The mask mandate was imposed weeks ago but had no real penalties.
On Route 66, Kansas, Illinois and California also require masks in public. UPDATE: Texas announced Thursday it would impose a mask mandate in counties with more than 20 cases.
Lujan Grisham said she would ease restrictions by mid-July if data indicate the state’s COVID-19 caseload had flattened or declined. Otherwise, she said she likely would reimpose restrictions on restaurants, breweries, gymnasiums, retailers and churches.
COVID-19 has killed 500 people in New Mexico. In the U.S., more than 2.6 million people have been confirmed with the disease, with more than 128,000 deaths. Forty-five of the 50 states are seeing rises in their caseloads.
(Image of the New Mexico state flag by josephbergen via Flickr)