New Mexico state Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-NM) submitted a letter to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham requesting a broadening of who is allowed to attend the State Fair, scheduled to open Sept. 9.
A new public health order will require either COVID-19 vaccination proof, or proof of a recent negative test for those who have exemptions, to enter the annual event, enforcing the mandate for medical and high-risk workers settings. These changes are in the best interest of those who are not yet eligible for the vaccine, especially children under the age of 12, a related press release from the governor's office reports.
Herrell sees it differently. "Under @GovMLG's mandate, low-risk children & otherwise healthy families are banned from the NM State Fair. I've joined legislature leaders @BacaForSenateNM, @LeaderTownsend, NM Cattle Growers @nmcga asking that COVID-negative people be allowed to attend our great state fair," Herrell wrote in a tweet.
In her letter, Herrell includes those who won’t get their second dose in time as part of the unvaccinated group prohibited from attending the fair, referring to the proposed requirement as "a punitive and coercive executive action rather than a real and workable solution."
The official blamed large concerts and sporting events for being the main drivers of the surging delta variant of coronavirus, though no large surges in cases have been linked to the events, Herrell said in the letter, not citing her sources.
According to the governor's site, Herrell’s proposal flies in the face of various other local governments' and private-sector organizations' decisions to implement similar guidelines.
New Mexico exceptions to the vaccine rule include medical, disability, and religious reasons, proven with a medical note or other legal document forms. Those exempt from the vaccine mandate must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours before entering fairgrounds.