New Mexico cases total 12,520 heading into holiday weekend

| July 2, 2020 4:27 PM

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico health officials on Thursday reported an additional 248 COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total of confirmed infections to 12,520.

Another three deaths also were reported, bringing that total to 503.

The state’s most populous county, Bernalillo, led all others with 97 additional cases reported for the day. In southern New Mexico, Doña Ana County reported an additional 42 cases.

Members of the Doña Ana County Commission and the Las Cruces City Council are urging residents to stay home for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. They reiterated mandates by the state that people wear masks and practice social distancing to reduce spread of the virus.

"Please be mindful of the risk you pose to yourself and your loved ones if you consider going out to celebrate the 4th. It really is better to be safe than sorry by staying put and avoiding the unnecessary risk of exposure,” Mayor Ken Miyagishima said in a statement.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday warned that there will be more aggressive enforcement of the state’s public health order, including individual fines, to rein in rising coronavirus infection rates.

The state also reinstated a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all out-of-state visitors and announced it would be holding off on changes to the public health order until July 15, after reopening restaurants and breweries at partial capacity in June.

The latest numbers released by the state show there have been more than 356,600 tests done in New Mexico since the outbreak began.

Overall, the number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people still have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.