A small New Mexico city is under a near lockdown as the governor tries to contain the coronavirus hot spot, which is leading the state in COVID-19 cases.
More than 1,000 of the nearly 22,000 residents of Gallup in McKinley County have tested positive for the deadly infection, prompting Mayor Louis Bonaguidi to push Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for a state of emergency.
The figure represents 30% of the state total of more than 3,500, according to CNN.
McKinley County includes a corner of the main part of the Navajo Nation, which has had 1,504 cases with 58 deaths. The reservation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, the Associated Press reported.
Using the state’s rarely invoked Riot Control Act, Lujan Grisham has mandated that businesses shut from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. and that cars carry no more than two passengers. Roads also have been closed and all residents have been urged to stay inside.
“I recognize this request is unusual and constitutes a drastic measure, and the emergency powers set out under the Riot Control Act should be invoked sparingly,” Bonaguidi wrote to the governor. “However, the COVID-19 outbreak in the city of Gallup is a crisis of the highest order. Immediate action is necessary.”
