SANTA FE – Public health orders aimed at curbing the coronavirus outbreak will likely be extended into May as the state looks to ramp up testing for COVID-19, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Wednesday.
There are now 64 testing sites and the goal is to get a more complete picture of the virus’ prevalence. While the state has yet to get the supplies needed for the additional testing, the governor said she has “a strategy” for doing that. She did not offer specifics.
Public health orders that forced the closure of nonessential businesses, limited gatherings to less than five people and placed limits on the number of people who can enter businesses such as grocery stores were set to expire at the end of the month. Lujan Grisham said a decision to extend those orders to May 15 will be announced in the coming days.
The Democrat said Wednesday her administration has an obligation to protect residents, describing it as a fight that won’t end until there’s a vaccine and treatment protocol. She said testing also will be key in making decisions about how and when to restart the state.
“It is crucial to making smart, productive decisions about both economic recovery and protecting our population. These things have to be done together. You don’t get to choose one or the other,” she said.
The state has more than 2,200 cases, and 71 people have died. The cases have been centered in Bernalillo, McKinley, Sandoval and San Juan counties. In McKinley County alone, there were several dozen new cases reported Wednesday.
State Human Services Secretary David Scrase shared a number of graphs Wednesday, indicating that Santa Fe and Bernalillo counties were beginning to flatten their curves. However, there were still concerns about the counties in the northwest.
Mental health and substance abuse programs also will be getting an infusion of funding as part of the U.S. government’s relief efforts related to the outbreak.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. But it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death for some people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems.
Members of the state’s congressional delegation say a $2 million grant has been awarded to the Human Services Department to fund behavioral health services.
The agency served more than 149,000 residents in 2018 with federal funds. Officials expect the demand for such services to increase because of the public health toll of the outbreak.
“We can’t allow this pandemic to create any lapses in behavior health care for New Mexicans who need it,” Sen. Martin Heinrich said in a statement. “Our state has long faced challenges providing adequate behavioral health resources. That has only been exacerbated during this crisis by unprecedented economic upheaval, social isolation and proximity to potential abusers.”
To increase access to behavioral health resources and support services, the state has launched NMConnect, a new app that provides free 24-hour crisis and non-crisis support. The app links users to the New Mexico Crisis Access Line, which provides safety net services statewide.
