April 22, 2020 • Regional News
New Mexico governor likely to expand stay-at-home order until May 15
New Mexico governor likely to expand stay-at-home order until May 15
SANTA FE, New Mexico -- Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham warned Wednesday that her public health orders will likely be expanded to May 15.
She said a decision will be announced in the coming days as New Mexico now has 2,210 cases of Covid-19 with 71 deaths.
Officials reported six new deaths from the virus Wednesday and announced 139 additional cases of coronavirus in the state.
Seven new cases were reported in Doña Ana County, bring the total number in the Las Cruces area to 82. The case count would've been 83, but officials said one case was removed because it involved an out-of-state resident; there's only been one Doña Ana death.
Meantime, state leaders remained skeptical of a University of Washington virus model that predicts a decrease in the state's death toll.
According to the updated data, the state is projected to have 80 deaths by August, which is a decrease in previous projections of more than 500 fatalities.
State leaders have said from the start that the UW modeling is too optimistic and fails to take New Mexico's unique factors into consideration.
According to the UW model, New Mexico has already passed its peak and it recommends slowly re-opening businesses by May 18.
But New Mexico officials are projecting the statewide surge—when hospitals are at full capacity— will be in early May. They also say the peak in the state—when hospitals and ICUs are beyond full capacity—is expected to be in late May.
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