SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and state health officials this week once again reminded New Mexicans to limit their travel outside of the home in order to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

“Every time we leave the house, we take a risk, because the virus is out there, and it is an awful, invisible enemy,” said Gov. Lujan Grisham. “But if and when we must go out, we should think about how to minimize the number of places we visit, the things we do, the people we come into contact with. If we limit ourselves to three trips or places to go or things to do each day – or fewer! – we will ultimately reduce the opportunities for catching and spreading the virus. And it will make an enormous difference in our state’s overall health and well-being and permit us to get more students safely back in the classroom and more New Mexicans safely back to work.”

New Mexicans are encouraged to think about categorizing their limited daily travel outside the home into the following categories:

COVID-safe self-care options can include going for a solo walk or a run, walking the dog, visiting a park, taking a hike alone or with a small group – all while practicing social distancing from others and wearing a facemask.

The following public health restrictions and guidelines remain in place:

• Masks are required in all public settings in New Mexico for the benefit of public health.
• Gatherings of more than 10 are not permitted.
• A period of self-quarantine is mandatory for visitors and New Mexicans returning from out-of-state from most U.S. states.

“There’s a safer option and a less-safe option for everything we do outside of the home,” said Human Services Secretary David Scrase, M.D. “I hope all New Mexicans choose the safer option: Takeout or delivery instead of dining in, ordering online instead of browsing through the aisles of a store, visiting a family member or friend over the phone or the computer instead of spending time indoors and in person, going for a jog alone with a mask instead of hiking with a large group of friends. Of course, staying home in the first place is always the safest choice. If more of us make these choices, the safer decisions, we will see fewer illnesses in our state, and we will begin to once again turn the tide in our fight against this virus.”