FARMINGTON – All of New Mexico, including San Juan County, has been placed in the Turquoise Level, the least-restrictive of the state’s color-coded system for COVID-19 risk.
The Department of Health reported only 380 new COVID-19 cases covering a four-day cumulative period – from Saturday to Tuesday – an average of fewer than 100 cases each day, according to a news release from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office.
“We’re almost there,” Lujan Grisham said in the release. “New Mexicans are making the right choices: Getting vaccinated so we can all safely resume our lives and so our small businesses and economy can roar back to life.”
Once 60% of eligible New Mexicans have been fully vaccinated, the state will move out of the color-coded county risk system and remove most pandemic-related restrictions on commercial activities, the release said.
According to the latest data, San Juan County has 15.9 cases per 100,000 people, a positivity rate of 5.52% and a fully vaccinated rate of 58.7%. To qualify for the Turquoise Level, a county must meet two of these three benchmarks:
- No greater than 10 cases per 100,000.
- An average positivity rate at or less than 7.5%.
- And/or a fully vaccinated rate at or above 50%.
San Juan County qualifies for two of the three.
Under the Turquoise Level, essential businesses have no capacity restrictions; essential retail is limited to 75% capacity; food and drink businesses, if NM Safe Certified, can operate at 75%; all other business can operate at 75% capacity; entertainment venues are at 33% capacity indoors and 75% outdoors; recreational facilities are at 50% indoors and 75% outdoors; bars and clubs at 33% indoors and 75% outdoors; houses of worship can operate at 100% capacity indoors if they so choose; and mass gatherings are limited to 150 people.
mmitchell@durangoherald.com
