Department of Health county map update March 10: More counties reach Green, Turquoise

Layouts BreadCrumbs BreadCrumbs Thirteen counties advance to a less-restrictive level SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Health on Wednesday announced the updated statewide COVID-19 map for the two-week period beginning March 10, with seven New Mexico counties at the Turquoise Level and seven at the Green Level, at which there are fewer restrictions on commercial and day-to-day activities amid decreased virus risk. Eighteen counties are at the Yellow Level as of March 10. Only one is at the Red Level, signifying very high risk. Thirteen counties – more than a third of the state – reached a less restrictive level. Those counties are: De Baca, Doña Ana, Eddy, Hidalgo, Lea, Los Alamos, McKinley, Otero, Quay, Roosevelt, San Juan, Santa Fe and Socorro . Four counties, however, regressed to a more restrictive level. Those counties are: Guadalupe, Mora, Taos and Torrance . Mora, Taos and Torrance each moved from the Green Level – which if they had maintained would have put them into the Turquoise Level, or least restrictive – to the Yellow Level. Guadalupe County saw an increase in both its rate of new per-capita cases and positivity rate and moved from the Yellow Level to the Red Level. A county where the virus is on the rise, requiring a move back to a more restrictive level, must begin operating at the more restrictive level within 2 days. Even as New Mexico rapidly vaccinates eligible populations with all available supply, it is important that New Mexicans still seek out COVID-19 tests if they feel symptomatic, if they have traveled, if they have spent time unmasked in the company of others — particularly non-household members and particularly indoors. Getting tested not only helps slow the spread; it helps counties maintain their risk levels and advance to less restrictive levels when the viral risk in the community is sufficiently reduced. Please seek out COVID-19 testing at togethernm.org . The state’s county-by-county system uses key health metrics – the per-capita daily incidence of new COVID-19 cases and average COVID-19 test positivity within county borders – to determine the level of public health risk and requirement for each county. A county that meets one criterion may operate at the Yellow Level; a county that meets both may operate at the Green Level. A county that has met both for two consecutive biweekly map updates may operate at the Turquoise Level. Counties that met both of the health metric thresholds for two consecutive biweekly map updates and may operate at the Turquoise Level beginning March 10 are: Catron, De Baca, Harding, Los Alamos, Quay, Sierra and Union . Counties that met both of the health metric thresholds and may operate at the Green Level beginning March 10 are: Hidalgo, Lea, McKinley, Roosevelt, San Juan, Santa Fe and Socorro . Counties that met one of the health metric thresholds and may operate at the Yellow Level beginning March 10 are: Bernalillo, Chaves, Cibola, Colfax, Curry, Doña Ana, Eddy, Grant, Lincoln, Luna, Mora, Otero, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Sandoval, Taos, Torrance and Valencia . Counties that met neither of the health metric thresholds and must operate at the Red Level are: Guadalupe . The color-coded tier system – Red Level, Yellow Level and Green Level – enables counties to shed restrictions and provide local communities the flexibility to operate more day-to-day activities as soon as public health data show the virus is retreating within their borders. The public health order, the red-to-green framework and frequently asked questions are all available at cv.nmhealth.org/redtogreen , where New Mexicans can also view the test positivity rate and new case incidence for each county. The