SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is weighing whether to extend major provisions of an emergency health order that limits nonessential business activity and bans gatherings over more than five people.
The governor scheduled a live-stream news conference Wednesday to discuss statewide efforts to rein in the spread of the coronavirus and protect vulnerable residents.
New Mexico’s current emergency health order expires on Friday, as infections continue to surge in the northwest of the state. Lujan Grisham has assembled an advisory council of business leaders to consult in private as she takes gradual steps to reopen the state economy.
The Navajo Nation on Tuesday extended its executive order declaring a state of emergency and government closures to June 7 in an attempt to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. A stay-at-home order for residents on the vast reservation also remains in place.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez announced the third extension of the executive order during an online town hall Tuesday.
Across New Mexico, more than 5,200 people have tested positive for COVID-19 amid 219 related deaths.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
On Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, warned that lifting stay-at-home orders too quickly could lead to serious consequences, both in deaths and economic hardship. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has continued to push states to act to right a free-falling economy.
