Governor makes unemployment benefits available to COVID-19 furloughs

SANTA FE - The New Mexico Department of Health announced a sixth state resident had tested as a presumptive positive for Covid-19.

The sixth case reported, is, according to the New Mexico Department of Health, that of a Santa Fe County woman in her fifties with known recent travel to Italy.  She is at home in isolation.

The fifth case is a Bernalillo County woman in her forties. The Department of Health is investigating a possible travel link.  She is isolating at home.

The fourth  case is a woman in her sixties from Santa Fe County who had recently traveled to the New York City area.

The other known cases include a Socorro County couple in their sixties who had recently traveled to Egypt and a Bernalillo County woman in her seventies who had recently traveled to the New York City area.

The presumptive specimens are being sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.

“We expect to see more travel-related cases,” Human Services Secretary David Scrase said, “All New Mexicans can help us and help each other to minimize the risk of spread by taking up preventive measures. That’s why the guidance issued by the state today was so essential.”

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, in consultation with leadership at the NMDOH issued enhanced public health advisory steps that New Mexicans should take to protect themselves, their families and New Mexico communities from the potential occurrence or spread of the disease in our state on March 11.

The governor and Department of Health urged New Mexicans to:

Avoid large public gatherings, particularly if you are a high risk individual.

High-risk individuals are older adults and people who have severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease

Avoid all non-essential travel to affected out-of-state areas and exercise extreme caution with all out-of-state travel.

Remain home (“self-isolate”) if you are sick and call the Department of Health at (855) 600-3453 if you are exhibiting any of the symptoms of COVID-19.

Those symptoms include fever, cough or trouble breathing.

Continue taking precautionary steps to protect your individual health, such as:

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Clean “high-touch” surfaces daily with regular household cleaners.

Avoid sharing personal household items.

In her public health emergency declaration Executive Order 2020-004 on March 11, Lujan Grisham announced that in declaring a state of public health emergency and invoking the powers provided by the All-Hazard Emergency Management Act and the Emergency Licensing Act, she would:

Credential out-of-state professionals who can render aid and necessary services.

Maximize the available insurance coverage for New Mexicans suffering from Covid-19, pneumonia or influenza, while ensuring that medical costs do not create barriers to testing and treatment.

Adopt emergency rules, regulations or declarations to ensure that people experiencing layoffs or furlough status due to forced absences from work because of Covid-19, are eligible to receive unemployment benefits.

Direct the Adjutant General to order into service any elements of the New Mexico National Guard needed to support civil authorities in response to this public emergency.

Make available emergency financial resources on a continuing basis as necessary to address this emergency.  Funds shall be used to protect public health, safety and welfare, to provide resources and services needed to avoid or minimize economic or physical harm on a temporary, emergency basis.  They will be paid out only in an amount specified by warrants drawn by the Secy. of the Dept. of Finance and Administration upon vouchers approved by the governor or the Dept. of Health.

Two more people have been arrested on various drug charges due to the diligence and hard work of undercover narcotics agents. The agent responsible for the latest arrests, hereby referred to as Agent, was met with in a secure undisclosed location. The Gallup Sun does not disclose the identity of undercover officers.

Traffic stop leads to drug arrest

According to the arrest warrant, filed by Agent, Gallup Police Department Officer Matthew Graham responded to La Cima Dr. Jan. 29 to check on a male who was reportedly “slumped over the steering wheel.”

“Patrol got called out for someone who was down and out in a vehicle, they arrested him for being under the influence,” Agent said.

While Nassar Hamayel, 23, of Gallup was being placed under arrest, Graham noticed that Hamayel’s nose and fingertips were black.

The arrest warrant says that while Graham was getting the vehicle inventoried for a tow, he discovered what appeared to be narcotics in the vehicle. The vehicle was sealed and towed for evidence until a search warrant could be obtained.

Agent secured a search warrant Feb. 2 and various agents searched the vehicle. A pill box labeled “oxycontin,” “green leafy substance” in a white bag and “dark, tar like substance wrapped in white plastic having the appearance of heroin” were located in the vehicle. Known drug paraphernalia was also found in the vehicle. The “oxycontin” held 37 pills with “OP” on them as well as 38 pills with “XANAX” on them. The prescription bottle was not prescribed to Hamayel.

The suspected narcotics were sent to a lab in Santa Fe where a report was returned June 30 confirming that the “oxycontin” pills were oxycodone. The dark tar substance tested positive for heroin and the green leafy substance tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol or THC.

Based on the lab’s findings, Agent was able to obtain an arrest warrant for Hamayel and he was served at the McKinley County Adult Detention Center Aug. 6.

“He was about to get released and we served him at the jail,” Agent said.

Hamayel had a charge of trafficking Jan. 7, where he went in front of Magistrate Judge April Silversmith. That charge was transferred to District Court March 19 to Judge Robert Aragon. An arraignment was held March 27. Hamayel will be answering to the charge of felony possession Aug. 21 in District Court.

Agents are watching

After undercover agents coordinated a buy from Ruth Garcia, 31, of Gallup, watched the buy and then sent the bought narcotics off to a lab in Santa Fe, they had the evidence that they needed to secure an arrest warrant. The narcotics did test positive for containing methamphetamine. The arrest warrant was signed Aug. 7.

That same day, agents saw Garcia leaving her known residence on North Third Street and driving to Pep Boys, where a traffic stop was made. She admitted to having a “bubble” on her person.

“Based on affiants training and experience a ‘bubble’ is a glass pipe that is round like a bubble at the end which is used for smoking controlled substances,” Agent said in the search warrant.

Garcia was placed under arrest for the warrant, charges of distribution of a controlled substance and a K-9 unit was utilized to check the vehicle.

“K9 Officer T. Peyketewa advised his K9 ‘Jayco’ did show interest on the left front door but did not alert on the vehicle,” Agent said in the warrant.

While preparing the vehicle to be towed, an inventory was being done and Agent located suspected narcotics.

The inventory ceased was secured and taken in as evidence until a search warrant could be secured. The search warrant was signed Aug. 11. In the vehicle, agents located a “white plastic baggie with glass shard like substance” inside the lipstick case of a purse.

“We did a traffic stop on her, we found [possible] meth on her person, got a search warrant for her vehicle and found some more [possible] meth,” Agent said.

The suspected narcotics will be sent to the lab for positive identification.

Garcia has already plead guilty to trafficking stemming from a March 16 charge, which was transferred to District Court. On May 4, Garcia plead guilty in front of Judge Louis DePauli Jr., where she was granted a conditional discharge and given supervised probation for 12 months. Magistrate Judge Kenneth Howard signed an order setting conditions of release Aug. 11. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 19.

SANTA FE – New Mexico state health officials announced seven additional positive tests for COVID-19 on March 18.

Per the state Department of Health, the most recent cases are:

• ​Four people in Bernalillo County
• ​One person in San Miguel County
• ​Two people in Santa Fe County

Including the above newly reported cases, New Mexico has now had a total of 35 positive tests for COVID-19:

• ​Bernalillo County: 20
• ​Sandoval County: 4
• ​San Miguel County: 1
• ​Santa Fe County: 7
• ​​​Socorro County: 2
• ​Taos County: 1

The Department of Health has detected community spread. The agency reports that given the infectious nature of the virus, it is likely other residents are infected but yet to be tested or confirmed positive.​ To that end, additional restrictions enacted by order of the secretary of health March 19 are intended to aggressively minimize person-to-person contact and ensure spread is mitigated by social distancing and isolation.

Certain businesses are mandated closed; others have been instructed to limit operations. New Mexicans are strongly urged to limit travel to only what is necessary for health, safety and welfare.

The New Mexico Department of Health has active investigations into the positive patients, which includes contact-tracing and swabs of symptomatic individuals who have had contact with the positive cases.

State officials have vigorously encouraged all New Mexicans to practice social distancing procedures: stay home particularly if you are sick.

Every New Mexican must work together to stem the spread of COVID-19.

New Mexicans who report symptoms of COVID-19 infection, such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath, should call their health care provider or the NMDOH COVID-19 hotline immediately (855) 600-3453.

People without those symptoms do not need to be tested for COVID-19. This is allergy season, and allergy symptoms such as sneezing or itchy eyes, nose or throat do not indicate a need for testing. While the state is gratified that COVID-19 testing is increasingly available, we need to prioritize testing for persons with symptoms of COVID-19 infection - fever, cough, or shortness of breath.

New Mexicans who have non-health-related questions or concerns can also call (833) 551-0518 or visit newmexico.gov which is being updated and finalized as a one-stop source for information.

The state Department of Health will update its dedicated COVID-19 webpage with additional tests as the state lab provides results.

More screenings, limiting staff, sending people home

After both the United States and the State of New Mexico declared health emergencies over the growing pandemic of COVID-19, McKinley County has followed suit.

During their March 17 meeting, the McKinley County Board of Commissioners moved to declare a health emergency for the county. County Manager Anthony Dimas Jr. said the county will be eligible for funding that may come from the federal government or state government after the declaration.

The declaration also gives the county manager’s office authority to delegate work schedules and hours to get through the emergency, Dimas said.

County Attorney Doug Decker said part of the catalyst for the declaration was gaining the ability to tap into federal monies. The decision was also based on the directive issued March 15 to all state offices by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to limit their staff in the office and push for an increase in telecommunication.

The move to reduce the number of people inside buildings and to keep adequate space between staff members is part of a general strategy called “flattening the curve,” where the goal is to lower the peak number of positive cases of COVID-19 to minimize the strain an influx of patients could place on local hospitals.

The floor was opened to public comment, and a number of county department managers spoke about what is being done to reduce the number of staff in the office while still maintaining essential services for the community.

“Metro Dispatch and 911 has limited access to their building,” Metro Dispatch Director Georgene Dimas said. “Staff will go to the door and call in before they are allowed in, which will reduce the contact in the building.”

Georgene Dimas suggested giving county employees the ability to send documents electronically, which could cut down on employees having to move between offices.

“I have to go back into my facility and make contact [to deliver documents],” she said. “If we could eliminate that, I think it would reduce the [risk of] exposure to staff.”

She also said if Metro Dispatch staff either test positive for the virus or come into contact with a known carrier, the department plan is to have more administrative staff work from home when part of the department has the ability to perform their duties from home.

James Maiorano, undersheriff for McKinley County Sheriff’s Office, said their crews have been meeting over the past week to strategize because new information is constantly coming in.

“We’ve outfitted our guys with Purell and disinfectant wipes to clean out the back of their units and transports,” Maiorano said.

Maiorano also said since school is out, the sheriff’s office expects calls for service will increase, as will property crimes. He also said the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases will increase, and the numbers will depend on whether McKinley County residents can follow the safety guidelines to stay home if they are feeling unwell.

“We understand [cases will increase], we’re prepared for it,” Maiorano said. “We’re also prepared to lose one-quarter of our force, which will leave us with three people per shift.”

Services like fingerprinting will continue with regular contact because there is no other way to do it, Maiorano explained, while services like background checks and reports can be done without direct contact. This means the department will be able to limit the administrative staff they have working at one time.

Tony Boyd, warden for McKinley County Adult Detention Center, said since inmates are more susceptible to the virus because of the confined spaces in the facility, the detention has stopped all non-contact visits for inmates and limited attorney visits to non-contact or phone conversations.

Boyd also said the county is looking into video conferencing for arraignments, which would reduce the need to transport inmates from the court to the detention center.

“We do have to allow some people in,” Boyd said. “We’re looking to change our shift schedule and we’re sending home anyone who shows any signs of illness.”

Cleanliness in the facility is also an issue, Boyd mentioned. This includes wiping down door handles and sanitizing areas where people will meet.

This area also showed the detention center is suffering from the same problem a lot of urgent shoppers have encountered in the past week.

“We have no toilet paper,” Boyd said. “There is none available right now. You can’t find any hand sanitizer anywhere. For sanitation wipes, unless you can get to places like Walmart when they stock it, you’re out of luck.”

Boyd said if their supplier is unable to provide what they need, the department can make the trip to Albuquerque to buy directly from a manufacturer.

As part of a contingency plan, if inmates start showing symptoms, one of three areas in the detention center will be used as an isolation center, Boyd said. They are also planning to have testing kits available to inmates, so they do not have to be transported to local hospitals to be tested.

Commissioner Bill Lee reiterated advice that is being given from nearly every major news outlet and medical professional to minimize the risk of catching or spreading COVID-19.

“As much as you can, I would encourage everyone, and I mean everyone, not just employees, to limit the amount of travel they take,” Lee said. “If you don’t have to travel outside our area, don’t do it. It’s that simple.”