All roads into Gallup, New Mexico, are closing over "uninhibited" COVID-19 spread

[Judi Lynn]

Source: CBS News

BY AUDREY MCNAMARA

MAY 1, 2020 / 4:25 PM / CBS NEWS

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham invoked the state's Riot Control Act on Friday to essentially lock down the city of Gallup after its mayor requested that she do so on Thursday. Under the act, all roads leading into Gallup are now closed off "to mitigate the uninhibited spread of COVID-19 in that city."

"Effective at 12 p.m., May 1, all roads into Gallup are closed. Businesses in the city of Gallup will close from 5 p.m. through 8 a.m. Vehicles may only have a maximum of two individuals. Residents of the city should remain at home except for emergency outings and those essential for health, safety and welfare," Grisham's office said in a press release.

Gallup, a city of nearly 22,000 people about 100 miles west of Albuquerque, has been particularly affected by the coronavirus. As of Friday, McKinley County, where Gallup is located, had 1,027 confirmed cases and 19 deaths, according to the New Mexico Department of Health. The county now has the highest number of cases in all of New Mexico, which has 3,411 cases in total.

According to Grisham's press release, McKinley County has "more than 30 percent of the state's total positive COVID-19 cases and the most positive cases in the entire state, outstripping even far more populous counties."

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gallup-new-mexico-riot-control-act-coronavirus/

[LizBeth]

1. A good stopping place driving thru the state from Calif, Az, to Texas and Colorado. I can see

their issue.

[BadgerMom]

11. Doesn't help Gallup, but there's gas on I-40 right on the AZ line.

[TygrBright]

2. I believe this is the mayor who defied the state's stay-in guidelines some days back.

On edit: Nope, it was the moran in Grants.

[alittlelark]

3. I assume I-40 remains open, but with exits blocked.

Wise choice.

[bobbieinok]

4. Is this near Navajos where rate is so high? I don't know geography of SW

[Haggis for Breakfast]

5. Quick answer -- YES.

[progree]

9. From this map, yes. If you zoom in, it seems to be almost at the intersection of Navajo, Zuni, and

close to Hopi.

map link

[FailureToCommunicate]

14. Yes, and it's a big shopping area for the region... Walmart, etc. Awful.

A niece of mine lives there. The situation on the reservation is now getting worse and worse.

[Warpy]

6. Harsh but likely necessary

Gallup is the party town for several reservations where booze is prohibited. Even if they buy their booze as takeout, they'll party somewhere outdoors. To complicate matters, San Juan and McKinley counties are downwind of the Four Corners Generating Station, a huge coal fired plant that gives that part of the state the worst air quality.

For comparison, Albuquerque has about half the state population and many of the worst cases are flown in here because this is where the big hospitals are. We have fewer cases than McKinley County.

Governor Lujan-Grisham is going to take a lot of heat for this one. but it's likely the only way to slow the spread.

[UpInArms]

7. Related: Roads closed into New Mexico city to mitigate 'uninhibited spread of Covid-19'

Lujan Grisham invoked the state's Riot Control Act to authorize these temporary restrictions. The move comes after the mayor requested the governor to declare a state of emergency in the city, according to a letter made public by the governor's office.

"I recognize this request is unusual and constitutes a drastic measure, and the emergency powers set out under the Riot Control Act should be invoked sparingly," Gallup Mayor Louis Bonaguidi wrote in his letter. "However, the COVID-19 outbreak in the city of Gallup is a crisis of the highest order. Immediate action is necessary."

Gallup is in McKinley County, which has 1,027 positive cases of Covid-19 as of Thursday. The county has more than 30% of the state's 3,411 cases and the most positive cases in the entire state, the governor's statement said.

"Its infection trend has shown no sign of flattening," according to the statement.

McKinley County has reported an additional 207 positive cases in the last two days, more than every other county in the state has reported total during the pandemic except for three, according to state officials.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/05/01/us/new-mexico-town-lockdown-coronavirus-trnd/index.html

Looks like an awful situation

🥺

[BigmanPigman]

8. Smart move!

[burrowowl]

10. Michelle has the situation in hand

Bravo Michelle!

[warmfeet]

12. Surreal.

Please stay safe everyone!

[Vdizzle]

13. Maybe NM will join CA,OR, WA, CO,and NV in the western coalition.

The more we have, the stronger our coalition.

[NBachers]

15. I would like to see New Mexico as an Allied States Trading Partner.

[rocktivity]

16. Get 22,000 testing kits in there

found out exactly who's infected, and quarantine them properly!


rocktivity

[Renew Deal]

17. We know what this is really about.