Curry on pace to join turquoise designation

With a week to go before the next “Red to Green” update, Roosevelt County looks like a safe bet to stay in the vaunted turquoise designation. Curry County is on pace to join it there.

The state has, since Nov. 30, graded counties every two weeks on meeting gating criteria of 8 daily cases per 100,000 residents and test positivity at or below 5%. Green counties meet both, yellow counties meet one, red counties meet neither and turquoise counties make green for two consecutive data collection periods.

Halfway through the current data collection period — March 22 through Monday — Curry County has confirmed 26 cases and conducted 1,372 tests for a raw test positivity rate of 1.89%. Curry County, which made the green designation for the first time last week, must be at or below 56 new cases over the two-week period to meet the daily case criteria.

Roosevelt County is on pace to stay in the turquoise designation today, after first making green on March 10. Halfway through the current data collection period, Roosevelt has confirmed six cases and conducted 356 tests, a raw test positivity rate of 1.68%. Roosevelt must be at 23 or fewer cases over the two-week period for the daily case criteria.

Outside calculation is not an exact science due to how the state calculates the gating criteria. The state calculates test positivity by eliminating duplicate tests and compiles case counts based on the date of testing, and the public dashboard does not account for those changes in data.

In other COVID-19 developments:

Senior centers

The Portales Senior Center plans to reopen three days a week, starting Monday.

The center, located at 421 Industrial Drive, will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Activities offered will include card games, exercise, quilting, pool and general socializing.

To mitigate COVID-19 risks, the center will require temperature checks and face coverings, and anybody who brings food to the center may not share with others. For information call 575-356-8741.

The city of Clovis announced Monday its Senior Services Department will begin outdoor activities for seniors starting Thursday. The center has been closed to the public since last March, and activities have ranged from Facebook Live sessions to parking lot bingo.

Outdoor activities will include the parking lot bingo, along with tea time and exercise classes. Senior Services Director Barbara Riggan can be reached at 575-769-7908 or [email protected].

Vaccine changes

The New Mexico Department of Health will no longer require an event code for New Mexicans 75 and older seeking a COVID-19 vaccination.

Instead, seniors will receive invitations to schedule appointments, which will be required for vaccinations. They will log in to vaccineNM.org using their confirmation code and date of birth and schedule an appointment.

Roosevelt General Hospital has offered to help residents secure vaccine appointments by calling 575-226-6502 or emailing [email protected].

Rental aid

Starting Monday, New Mexicans can apply for a share of approximately $170 million in federal aid for rental and utility assistance to households experiencing hardship due to the pandemic. Applications and information on eligibility can be found at renthelpnm.org.

Renters across the state are eligible for the program -- except for residents of Bernalillo County, Dona Ana County, and those who live in a pueblo or tribal area. Those two counties, as well as tribal governments, will administer their own Rental Assistance Programs.

The state will make payments directly to landlords and/or utility providers, who are encouraged to download a W9 and submit it to [email protected] to facilitate payments.