Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office on Oct. 15 announced that New Mexico will extend its indoor mask requirement through at least Nov. 12.
The state’s Department of Health reinstated the mandate in August in response to rising COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations, according to the release. Staffed hospital beds continue to be in short supply, it said, and unvaccinated individuals are spreading the more infectious variant of COVID-19.
Under the mask requirement, people must don face coverings in all indoor public spaces with limited exceptions, whether they are vaccinated or not.
The Albuquerque Journal reported that surge caused by the highly contagious delta variant has plateaued, but not subsided, with nearly 2,500 new cases confirmed since Oct. 8 and 16 COVID-19 related fatalities.
Some of the cases involved vaccinated individuals, but it’s mostly the unvaccinated who account for hospitalizations and deaths, the publication additionally reported.
"#NM's face mask mandate for indoor public settings is likely to be extended -- again -- amid a stubbornly high number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations,” Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal capital bureau chief, tweeted before the official announcement.
The governor consults with the state Medical Advisory Team and health officials before deciding the next course in relation to the mask requirement.