Republicans clash with Governor’s Office on reopening businesses – Santa Fe New Mexican

House Republicans are calling on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to ease public health restrictions in counties that are less affected by the novel coronavirus, a notion the Governors Office rejected as premature.

As businesses in Georgia and other states begin to open again despite ongoing risks of contracting and spreading the virus, Republican leaders in New Mexico are for the first time urging the governor to open up areas of the state that have seen few or no cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Four lightly populated counties have had no cases: Sierra, Hidalgo, De Baca and Mora, according to data from the state Department of Health.

House Minority Leader Jim Townsend, R-Artesia, said the governor should look at counties with few cases and follow the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He mentioned the four counties with zero cases and a dozen with low occurrences along with southeast New Mexico as a whole as areas that should be reopened.

He urged the Governors Office to let the data guide them during a news conference Tuesday.

Townsend and the 23 other House Republicans signed a letter sent to Lujan Grisham on Tuesday, urging the governor to work with local community leaders to keep the situation from devolving into social chaos.

But the Governors Office said the data does not support opening any areas of the state right now. COVID-19 cases are ravaging San Juan, McKinley, Sandoval and Bernalillo counties. And although other areas such as Otero County or Quay County only have several cases, those numbers could still quickly rise, a Lujan Grisham spokeswoman said.

Areas with few reported COVID cases are not immune, spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett said. The virus does not recognize county lines. The fight against COVID-19 is the same in every part of the state, whether there are three positive cases in a certain community or 300. Three cases becomes 300 very quickly.

Sackett added state government and health officials already are making plans for when, where and in what capacity public health restrictions could begin to be lifted. The Governors Office remains in constant communication with local partners as we all navigate this public health emergency together, she said.

Republicans argue that if the governor waits, it may be too late for many businesses and smaller communities hurting from decreased demand and a public health order that shut down nonessential businesses, including most retail, to slow the spread of the virus.

If we delay much longer, this is going to have drastic effects on New Mexico and particularly in rural New Mexico, acutely, said state Rep. Greg Nibert, R-Roswell. I believe were on the precipice of a real economic collapse in the state if this goes on much longer. Our citizens are not prepared for a depression.

House Minority Whip Rod Montoya, R-Farmington, said the restrictions are spurring some county commissioners to declare an economic disaster in their communities and said he hopes to avoid anywhere in New Mexico having a Kent State situation, referring to the 1970 Ohio National Guard shootings of unarmed college Vietnam War protesters.

Im worried of a situation as has been reported where a state police officer goes to someones business and tells them, Youve got to close down or threaten arrest, as has been done, or threaten these $5,000 fines and all these folks really want to do is protect their property and their civil liberties, Montoya said. The folks that were protesting at Kent State, and the police officers that went there that day, I dont believe had any thought that what would take place would take place. But thats what happens when emotions run high.

The Republican Party of New Mexico in a statement Tuesday supported the House Republican Caucus and doubled down on the claim that the governor is trampling on peoples civil rights through intimidation during this pandemic by issuing fines for businesses violating the public health order that temporarily shuts down businesses not deemed essential.

Every New Mexican is essential when it comes to making our state run, party Chairman Steve Pearce said in a written statement. We are now in a steady free fall because the governor wont look at the fiscal and economic health thats gone to ruins. Outside states are gobbling up our local dollars while mom and pop business remain shuttered and Main Streets become ghost towns.

The governor must look at what areas can slowly open, areas where there are few and no cases of COVID-19 to start with, Pearce continued.

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Republicans clash with Governor's Office on reopening businesses - Santa Fe New Mexican