Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham held her weekly press conference last Thursday afternoon to discuss amendments to the state’s emergency public health order. The Governor did confirm in the press conference that NM restaurants will be able to open for indoor dining at 25% capacity. Further details and modifications to the public health order included changes for places of worship, and plans for the upcoming school year. The decision by the Governor to open up indoor dining for restaurants comes curiously ahead of the Supreme Court case from the New Mexico Restaurant Association challenging the validity of the shutdowns for dining establishments. Attorneys defending the restaurant industry asserted that state health officials were invoking science as the basis of the ban without sharing specific scientific findings or deliberations, an increasingly frequent occurrence with most things COVID-19 related.
The 25% dine in capacity is a paltry offering for the hundreds of restaurants fighting to keep the doors open, but better than nothing at all. Read more HERE.
Effective Saturday, Aug. 29, the following changes, among others, will be implemented:
- Food and drink establishments (including restaurants, breweries, wineries, distillers, cafes, coffee shops or other similar establishments) may provide indoor dining service at 25% maximum occupancy, in accordance with COVID-safe practices.
- Food and drink establishments may continue to provide outdoor dining options, carryout and delivery services, in accordance with COVID-safe practices. Tables – inside or outside – must be spaced at least six feet apart, and no more than six patrons are permitted at a single table.
- Houses of worship may operate at 40% maximum occupancy of any enclosed building – an increase from 25 percent – in accordance with COVID-safe practices. Houses of worship may, as before, conduct services outdoors or provide services through audiovisual means.
The new emergency public health order will be effective through at least mid-September. For more information click HERE.