The color-coded framework will now include a criterion that will benefit counties as their vaccination rates improve, incorporating an essential new metric that reflects increasing vaccination rates in counties all across the state as more supply becomes available.
Gov.
“I believe that New Mexico, by some time in June, will have fully vaccinated enough of our state that we can shed these restrictions and frameworks and instead move closer to a simpler new phase, from fighting to ultimately monitoring the pandemic,” Gov.
A county meeting all three criteria, or having maintained the Green Level for two consecutive biweekly map update periods, is at the Turquoise Level.
In addition, counties that reach the Turquoise Level will move to a four-week update, as opposed to biweekly.
Previously, the health metrics were more restrictive; the new per-capita case rate was 8 per 100,000 inhabitants and the average new positivity rate was 5 percent.
“New Mexicans should continue to get vaccinated at the very first opportunity,” Health Secretary Tracie Collins, M.D.
State officials also announced on Wednesday that New Mexico will adopt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated guidance on facemasks for those who are fully vaccinated.
Fully vaccinated individuals will no longer be required to wear a mask when attending small, outdoor gatherings of vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals no larger than the applicable mass gathering limit for the county or twenty individuals, whichever is less.
The updated criteria for the statewide framework will go into effect Friday, April 30, at which point the statewide map will be updated.
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