SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - New Mexico officials on Wednesday said they would be ending mandatory self-quarantine requirements for visitors and residents arriving in the state while more counties have reported less spread of the virus over the last two weeks.
More than half of the state’s 33 counties have emerged from strict lockdown - earning favorable yellow and green ratings on a color-coded map - as test positivity rates decline. That opens permission for limited indoor dining at restaurants, though movie theaters, bars and contact recreational facilities remain closed statewide.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham sounded an optimistic note about progress against COVID-19 during an online news conference, noting that average daily deaths, infections and hospitalizations were declining.
“Today is a day to really feel good about the collective efforts of the state,” Lujan Grisham said.
She acknowledged a one-day surge in virus-related deaths of 31 on Wednesday.
Health officials also confirmed that the state’s allotment of vaccine doses from the federal government will increase next week to about 61,000, marking a more than 8% increase from last week.
“We’re showing that you can efficiently get this vaccine out,” Lujan Grisham said, acknowledging frustrations among people on the state’s waiting list. “New Mexico Just needs more vaccine.”
State health officials pointed to testing efforts and high vaccine distribution rates for the recent suppression of the virus in parts of New Mexico.
Nearly 5% of the population has been fully vaccinated, and state officials have been pushing for more doses to be delivered as the number of residents who have registered to receive a shot topped 605,000 on Wednesday
The Biden administration plans to have the federal government administer vaccines directly through community health centers as a way to distribute vaccines more equitably. It’s also planning to have 100 federally run vaccination centers operating by the end of February. Some states are worried that the vaccines going to the community health centers and the federal vaccination centers would be subtracted from the allotments normally going to the states.
In New Mexico, Lujan Grisham said the most important thing the Biden administration has done is increase vaccine shipments. She said the state will be submitting paperwork to federal officials with the goal of creating mobile vaccination clinics to increase access. She’s hopeful the program can serve as a model for other states.
New Mexico has recorded 178,790 COVID cases since the pandemic began, with some of the lowest daily case totals since October being reported over the last week. The death toll stands at 3,461.
As for the travel restrictions, beginning Thursday visitors from anywhere outside of the state will instead be advised to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days and to seek out a COVID-19 test upon their arrival in or return to New Mexico.
Previously, visitors or arrivals from “high-risk” states were required to physically separate from others for at least 14 days from the date of their entry into New Mexico or for the duration of their presence in the state, whichever is shorter.
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