Recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (5/26/20 edition) – New Mexico Political Report

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See all of our COVID-19 coverage here.

• The number of COVID-19 cases in New Mexico are over 7,000, as of Monday’s state announcement.
• Mayors across the state are split on how much communication they receive from the governor’s office, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
• The Navajo Nation announced on Monday that they found 105 new cases of COVID-19, reported and reported one additional death related to the disease. In all, 4,794 members of the Navajo Nation have tested positive for COVID-19, while 1,491 have recovered.
• A bill in front of the Navajo Nation Council would cancel all fairs, rodeos and roping competitions across the nation, the Farmington Daily Times reported.
• The state Department of Health filed a notice of emergency procurement for $200 million to address COVID-19, which concerned some budget watchers.
• KUNM looked at the anti-shutdown protests and how race factors into the conversation of when to lift restrictions.
• The spread of COVID-19 has made it impossible for families to hold large funerals, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
• The Mescalero Apache reservation declared an emergency and issued a stay-at-home order after positive tests among residents, the Alamogordo Daily news reported.
• The pause on census efforts because of the COVID-19 pandemic will have its biggest impact on rural and tribal areas, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
• The City of Las Cruces created its own economic recovery board, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported. The city was worried about the lack of representation from the area on a statewide board.
• The Marshall Project looked at the sheriffs across the country, including those in New Mexico, who won’t enforce orders from the state’s public health emergency order.
• The wedding industry is being hit hard by the pandemic, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
• Jalisco Cafe remained open despite losing its food permit for opening in defiance of the state’s public health order.
• One way that the state could address the pending budget crisis is by using capital outlay funds for projects that have not moved forward, the Albuquerque Journal reported. It would likely be a difficult vote for many lawmakers.
• The Los Alamos Monitor reported on the Los Alamos County Council’s troubles in attempts to help businesses while not falling afoul of the state’s anti-donation clause.
• The city of Albuquerque’s tax revenue for March wasn’t as bad as expected, but officials expect April to be much worse, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
• The City of Santa Fe’s hotel occupancy was just 15 percent in April according to the Santa Fe New Meican, a massive hit for the city that relies so much on tourism.
• The Chino Mine in southwestern New Mexico extended its furloughs, but delayed its decision on whether to lay off employees.
• Live horse racing at Ruidoso Downs took place this weekend, with no spectators in attendance, the Ruidoso News reported.
• The City of Grants held an in-person Memorial Service despite the state’s ban on mass gatherings, KOB-TV reported.
• Sign language interpreters have been a highly visual sign of communications from government during the COVID-19 pandemic, at least in New Mexico, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
• A study found that over 100,000 New Mexicans will lose their health insurance because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Golfers have flocked to City of Albuquerque golf courses since they were allowed to reopen, KRQE-TV reported.
• So far, there are no known cases of an inflammatory syndrome linked to COVID-19 seen among some younger people around the world, KOB-TV reported this weekend.
• A former mayor of Clovis said that state-mandated masks are “slave training.” He has a history of inflammatory comments, including calling former President Barack Obama “the carnal manifestation of evil.”