Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham will invoke the state’s Riot Control Act on Friday at 12 p.m. in response to the Gallup mayor’s request for a state of emergency. This act will authorize the governor to enact additional temporary restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the city. Starting at noon on Friday, May 1, all roads into Gallup are closed. Gallup businesses will close from 5 p.m. through 8 a.m. and vehicles may only have a maximum of two individuals.
City residents should remain at home except for emergencies that are essential for health, safety, and welfare. Gallup police and the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office are partnering with the New Mexico State Police and the Department of Transportation in order to enforce the emergency order and road closures.
Additionally, the New Mexico National Guard will provide support in a non-law enforcement capacity. The outgoing Gallup Mayor Jackie McKinney and the new Mayor Louis Bonaguidi, who was sworn into office on April 30, requested Gov. Lujan Grisham to declare a state of emergency.
According to a press release from the governor’s office, any state of emergency proclaimed under the Riot Control Act, along with restrictions imposed for control of that emergency, will be automatically terminated at noon on the third day after it becomes effective unless the governor terminates it sooner. The Gallup emergency order will expire at noon on Monday, May 4. Read the full press release from the Governor’s office HERE.