State to take county-based approach on in-person schooling

SANTA FE -- The state is planning a county-based approach for a return to in-person school, with data showing more than two-thirds of New Mexico counties meet the necessary gating criteria to go face-to-face after Labor Day.

Curry and Roosevelt counties do not meet the current criteria, but state officials said during a Thursday press conference there is still opportunity in the next two weeks to make progress in the COVID-19 pandemic prior to Labor Day.

Education Secretary Ryan Stewart said he’s been encouraged by lower positivity rates and the precautions he’s seen schools taking in virtual and in-person visits he’s made around the state. However, he echoed Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Human Services Secretary David Scrase in noting the work is far from over.

“The more we can wear masks,” Stewart said, “the more we can practice social distancing, the more we can turn these red counties to green.”

The state has four color-coded designations for counties:

* Green for less than eight daily cases per 100,000 and test positivity below 5%. This applies to 25 counties, including De Baca. These counties can begin to phase in face-to-face instruction, starting with lower grades.

* Orange for less than eight daily cases per 100,000 residents and test positivity above 5%. No counties fit this criteria.

* Yellow for more than eight daily cases per 100,000 residents and test positivity below 5%. Curry is one of two counties in this designation.

* Red for more than eight daily cases per 100,000 residents and a test positivity at or above 5%. This applies to six counties, including Roosevelt and Quay.

Stewart said the state will look at data over two-week periods to make sure schools can operate effectively instead of daily checks if a county is just floating around a threshold.

In cases where school districts have made decisions to go online-only beyond Sept. 8, the PED will not require those schools relax those standards. Albuquerque Public Schools, for instance, has already voted to go online-only for the entire fall semester. Lujan Grisham said if she were to order districts to go face-to-face, she would have to assure them they couldn't contract COVID-19 and she doesn't see a path to do that without a vaccine.

The state reported 190 new positive cases and nine deaths, with a spread rate of 0.91 and a seven-day average of 118 new daily cases.

The state had announced on Wednesday a few relaxed occupancy mandates. The public health order that takes effect Saturday will allow indoor dining at 25% capacity and outdoor dining at 75% capacity, houses of worship at 40% capacity and museums with static displays at 25%. Also, the state will change the definition of a prohibited mass gathering from five people to 10.

With a return to indoor dining, Lujan Grisham asked New Mexicans to wear face coverings whenever they’re not eating or drinking. She noted restaurants have done an incredible job following COVID-safe practices, but the environments are higher risk through no fault of the establishment.

“The more you wear the mask,” Lujan Grisham said, “the fewer droplets that are being provided to the indoor space. You have to do your part.”

Regarding a question on why new positive test numbers will be around 70 some days and 200 other days, Lujan Grisham said there are different reasons, and that’s why test positivity and rolling seven-day averages are key data points.