Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (7/8/20 edition)
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- New Mexico health officials announced 221 additional COVID-19 cases and four additional deaths as the state’s streak of days with more than 200 new confirmed cases reached six. See more details here.
- Universities in New Mexico responded to a new rule from ICE that would bar international students from getting visas to attend universities or colleges if they have online-only courses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. See the story here.
- Col. David Miller told KOB-TV the number of COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks on Kirtland Air Force Base exceeded the number in the previous four months.
- Navajo Nation health officials announced on Tuesday 27 new COVID-10 cases and one additional death related to the disease. This brings the total to 7,941 cases on the Navajo Nation, including 5,650 who have recovered and 379 deaths.
- The Navajo Nation president approved a bill that would spend $52 million in CARES Act funding, the Albuquerque Journal reported. He also line-item vetoed $73 million in spending; the Navajo Nation government has more than $662 million in funding from the federal legislation left.
- The Legislative Council voted unanimously to have attorneys investigate if the governor’s emergency expenditures spending were legal, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
- New Mexico State University reported 20 more athletes or staff members tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. Another 135 tests came back negative.
- The U.S. District Court in Albuquerque extended its suspension of trials through July, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
- Some Santa Fe Public Schools teachers are concerned about a “hybrid” plan for returning to school this fall, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
- Curry County Commissioner Seth Martin said he would not wear a mask, The Eastern New Mexico News reported. The paper reported he said, “If you’re fearful of it, I encourage you to wear your mask to protect yourself from me because I’m not going to protect you from myself. … I do believe this is a personal choice, and I hope people do what they are comfortable with and stay healthy.”
Curry County has the ninth-most number of cases per capita, with over 40 percent of the cases coming in the last two weeks. - An athlete at Loving High School tested positive for COVID-19, the Carlsbad Current-Argus reported.
- U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small cosponsored legislation called the “Preventing China form Exploiting COVID-19 Act.” Torres Small is part of the Blue Dog caucus, made up of conservative Democrats.
“This is a time when countries should be coming together to fight the spread of COVID-19, not exploiting breakdowns in supply chains or a shortage of critical equipment like masks, gloves and gowns in order to advance their own national security interests,” Torres Small said in a statement. “This is unacceptable, and the United States must be able to hold China accountable if it continues.” - The Ruidoso News wrote about Lincoln County Medical Center’s efforts to provide free meals for children.
- The board of directors for the Southern New Mexico State Fair & Rodeo canceled this year’s event, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
- The Santa Fe New Mexican reported on the controversy over a court reopening for a murder trial in a killing that took place in 2018.
- KOB-TV reported that the governor’s office said there is no connection between protests and the state’s increase in COVID-19 cases. That’s the same thing the governor and state officials said during their weekly COVID-19 press conference last week.
- Balloon Fiesta Park will host a series of drive-in events this summer, KRQE-TV reported.
- The Farmington Daily Times reported that the Farmington Indian Center will be closed until further notice while the staff have been assigned to the Bonnie Dallas Senior Center, after a senior center employee was possibly exposed to someone who had COVID-19.
- The City of Santa Fe delayed the opening of the Genoveva Chavez Community Center, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
- In response to a former employee saying the chain wasn’t doing enough to protect employees from COVID-19, a manager invited KOB-TV to see its current practices.
- The Albuquerque-based nonprofit AMP Concerts is looking to help local artists and bands while the live entertainment industry has shut down during COVID-19, the Daily Lobo reported.
- The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque is putting together plans to reopen, KOB-TV reported.
Correction: This story originally said that a staff member at the Bonnie Dallas Senior Center in Farmington had tested positive for COVID-19; the employee was possibly exposed to someone with COVID-19.
The Article was originally published on Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (7/8/20 edition)