FARMINGTON – As New Mexico rapidly approached more than 100,000 positive cases of COVID-19, the latest health order from the governor’s office allows businesses to reopen with restrictions.
The public health order, announced Friday by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and state health officials, is designed to provide counties the flexibility to operate more day-to-day activities. The state will transition to a tiered county-by-county COVID-19 risk system, enabling communities to shed some restrictions when public health data show the virus is retreating within their borders.
The new framework went into effect after a two-week “reset” last month, in which state officials enacted the most heightened level of statewide public health restrictions upon businesses and day-to-day activities in an effort to blunt the spread of COVID-19 across New Mexico.
Counties are tiered in three designations: red counties considered to be at very high risk, yellow counties at high risk and green counties at medium risk. According to the amended public health order, the county-by-county framework will permit counties – and the businesses and nonprofit entities within their borders – to operate under less restrictive public health measures when health metrics demonstrating the extent of the virus’ spread and test positivity within those counties are met.
All but one of New Mexico’s 33 counties have been placed at level red. Only Los Alamos County is under the yellow designation.
The latest round of restrictions, including the most recent near-total shutdown that concluded Tuesday, has taken its toll on local government officials and business owners and managers.
By Wednesday, health officials reported 100,970 positive cases statewide. About half the state’s total cases since the pandemic began have been reported in the past month.
The 40 deaths reported Wednesday brought the cumulative death toll to 940. Nearly all had been hospitalized and had underlying conditions, The Associated Press reported.
Farmington City Manager Rob Mayes acknowledged the effect the latest closures and restrictions have had on businesses.
“Restrictions on essential businesses and services create hardships for those traveling here for necessities,” Mayes said this week. “In spite of this, I am optimistic our community will come together to improve our numbers, relieve our health care personnel and resources and get our schools, businesses and churches fully open.”
Mayes was reluctant to say whether he thought the new tiered system as the best step going forward.
“We hope this is a step in the right direction, yet I have reservations as our county is so vast and varied,” he said. “San Juan County is larger than the state of Connecticut, so still a very large area to throw all into one pot. And we serve as a vital retail and necessities hub for over 300,000 citizens of the Four Corners.”
One such business model that had to justify its importance and differentiate itself from others was gyms or personal fitness facilities.
Defined Fitness, which operates eight facilities in New Mexico, as well as other gyms, sought relief from the governor’s orders originally classifying fitness centers as retail operations, which would have allowed them only 25% capacity, or 10 people inside the facility at a time. After much discussion, the state allowed fitness centers to be placed in the category of “all other businesses,” allowing personal fitness to operate at 25% capacity or up to 75 customers at a time, whichever is smaller.
“That will make a big difference for us, especially,” said Steve Lein, operations manager of Defined Fitness’ club in Farmington. “Gyms are more a part of the solution as opposed to the problem. The idea of keeping one’s physical and mental well-being important is going to go a long way in helping people stay healthy.”
Before the first shutdown last spring, the gym offered about 75 classes per week. It now offers about 30. Personal trainers’ business has dropped from 80 clients to about 20, he said.
The decline in business has brought personal and economic hardship for staff and members.
“We learned a lot about furloughs and layoffs (during the first lockdown) and the effect it was having on everyone,” Lein said. “The biggest negative was the idea that gyms weren’t safe. People didn’t want to come back when we reopened after the first lockdown.”
Among the differences between the current partial reopening and the ones personal fitness centers experienced last spring was the change in the weather.
“When we shut down the first time, the weather was warmer, so people found alternative ways to stay healthy,” Lein said. “Now, it’s much colder, and some people may be more reluctant to take care of their health and wellness. That’s where we need to do a good job in ensuring people that our facilities are up to the task.”
Gyms and personal fitness facilities weren’t the only businesses massively impacted by near-total lockdowns.
Bars, breweries and restaurants also face long-lasting ramifications.
“We started with 80 employees before the first lockdown,” said John Silva, owner of downtown Farmington’s Three Rivers Restaurant, as well as its accompanying tap and game room, pizzeria and brewstillery. “Now we’re down to five.”
Still, Silva remained optimistic that people’s behaviors can and will change for the better.
“One thing I keep hoping for is that we’ll all learn to be a little kinder to each other,” Silva said. “There isn’t one business that I know of in this area that hasn’t been crushed by this.”
Three Rivers, which has served the community for more than 20 years, relied on a loyal customer base to keep operations moving during the first shutdown and during the most recent limits on operating hours and capacity. Newer businesses, Silva opined, weren’t as lucky.
“If you decided to venture into a new business in 2020 before all this came along, how much longer can you possibly survive? How much more stress can a business take before it becomes too much?”
Eva Armenta, owner of Fat Boys Deli in Farmington, said not even high school students have been spared from the financial impacts of widespread shutdowns.
“We’re contracted through the city to be available at ballparks and recreation centers over the spring and summer,” Armenta said. “When the first lockdown occurred, all those kids who were counting on us for seasonal jobs were suddenly out of work through no fault of their own.”
Armenta hopes for improved communication from state, county and local officials about changing health orders.
“We relied so much on social media to get any sort of information at all during these last few months,” Armenta said. “We never received communication from state officials at all.”
Armenta noted that residents’ and businesses’ frustrations have been mounting.
“You do everything you can to follow orders,” Armenta said. “We spent money on outdoor seating, we changed our hours. We were so encouraged by the support we got from the community the first time around.
“There’s a lot of reasons why this recent lockdown was worse, but it just seemed that optimism was disappearing,” Armenta said.
Economic hardships for many in San Juan County could last years, Silva said.
“There’s a cost to all of this, and it’s not just financial,” Silva said. “There’s an element of mistrust out there. All these cities rely on each other, and all it takes is one little hiccup before it comes back again.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
