Renewed restrictions disappoint residents

CLOVIS — Some of the old COVID-19 restrictions are coming back, and they’re being joined by new ones. And it’s not at all unpredictable how local residents feel about it.

“It sucks,” Ronnie Erwin said bluntly Friday, before adding some context on face coverings and other measures to combat the pandemic. “I don’t know whether they’re working or not; time will tell.”

The two biggest changes in the new public health order, which takes effect Monday, roll back indoor restaurant dining and tighten requirements on wearing face coverings.

The restrictions came as the pandemic worsened in the state. Friday saw 301 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, with eight in Curry County and two in Roosevelt County, for a total of 14,549 confirmed cases since March. Curry County also marked its first COVID-19 death earlier in the week, a man in his 70s.

Erwin, who wore a face covering as he waited for his to-go order at a Main Street eatery, considers himself one of the fortunate ones during the pandemic. His work has been designated as essential throughout, and he has consistently seen the impacts in Clovis and Albuquerque along with even tighter restrictions at Cannon and Kirtland Air Force bases where he’s done work.

Laura Leal was busy with a Friday lunch rush at Leal’s Mexican restaurant and the impending difficulties of going back to a carryout/delivery model for the two locations.

The public health order will allow outdoor patio service at 50% capacity, but Leal doesn’t see customers enjoying an outdoor lunch with triple-digit highs over the next several days.

“I was kind of expecting (tighter restrictions) since the count was going up,” Leal said. “I was afraid this might happen. Now, we’re scrambling to get schedules done and get everything transitioned back by Monday.”

Leal feels like most restaurants did everything they could to prevent virus spread, and noted that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham defended restaurants in her Thursday press conference.

“Nobody thinks restaurants are bad actors,” the governor said, “but they’re not environments that help reduce spread.”

Leal said it is tough to transition back and forth, and even waited until June 12 to start inside dining again to make sure everything was in place for both indoor and to-go dining options.

“I feel like we’ve done everything we can,” Leal said. “I’m really concerned about the safety of the employees and our customers. In the restaurant industry, you can’t work 6 feet apart. We’ve been washing our hands constantly since day one.”

Range Movement isn’t technically a business yet, as the gym’s grand opening is slated for July 27. Co-owner Megan Crawford, who was doing some office work Friday afternoon, said there will be obvious concerns when workouts do begin at the Pile Street gym.

The new public health order does not close gyms, as Lujan Grisham noted Thursday they haven’t shown themselves to be infection hot spots. But in-person classes are banned, training is limited to one trainer per two customers and, effective Monday, face coverings will be required, even during workouts.

“We’re worried about that,” Crawford said. “It’s not easy to work out in a constricting mask. There are certain masks made for exercise that have improved air flow, and we’ll want to have those available for customers to buy. The tough thing is this is all new territory for everyone.”

Crawford said it’s an insane idea starting a business in the middle of a pandemic, and especially insane if that business is a gym. But she and her business partner have decided to roll with the punches, and they’re motivated by the fact 30 people have already pre-registered to use the facility. The gym had a community workout day in its parking lot late last month, and a July 18 “Coffee and Yoga” promotional event was called off because customers can’t go inside the coffee shop.

So far, the state has recorded 539 deaths related to COVID-19, with 151 hospitalizations. Of the 14,549 confirmed cases, 6,181 are designated as recovered.