PUBLIC SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO SEE INCREASE OF POSITIVE COVID CASES
Beginning today, May 10th, Portales High school will begin remote learning mode, with the return to in-person school being set for May 24th. No activities or sporting events will occur during this time. Teachers and Staff will prepare students to ensure they are prepared for their end of semester exams conducted the last week of school. Graduation will still take place at Greyhound Stadium on Friday May 28th.
The return to remote learning mode comes after the district was notified of 4 positive rapid responses for COVID-19. According to the public education department and the departments of health and environment, an entity that has 4 rapid responses within a 14-day period must close for 14 days.
This does not mean there has been an outbreak of COVID-19 cases, but it does mean that of the cases that were reported, all of the tests were not within two days of each other. Although, there may be a positive individual who exposed others, if one of those who was exposed waited more than two days before testing, that is counted as a separate response. Portales High School has had seven positive cases since April 21 and five of them can be traced back to the first incident.
In other COVID-19 developments:
The newest county map update from the Department of Health showed Curry and Roosevelt in the turquoise zone. The new measurement system, which debuted April 30, grades counties on meeting three COVID-19 metrics: Test positivity 7.5% or lower, no more than 10 daily cases per 100,000 residents and a full vaccination rate of 40%, increasing by 5% every two weeks to reach 60% by the end of June.
Counties are evaluated every two weeks, but counties that reach the turquoise designation are only evaluated every four weeks. Curry and Roosevelt counties, which were both in the turquoise designation as of Friday, stayed there despite missing one or more of the three metrics Wednesday. Like the other 28 turquoise counties, they will remain in the designation until at least June 2. “If you become turquoise,” Human Services Secretary David Scrase said, “you stay turquoise for four weeks.”
Curry registered 8.9 daily cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents and 4.58% test positivity between April 20 and May 3, with at 29.4% vaccination rate. Roosevelt County had 19 daily cases per 100,000 residents and 10.93% test positivity with a 23.4% vaccination rate.
Since last Tuesday, Curry and Roosevelt counties have confirmed 63 new cases of COVID-19 – 38 in Curry County, 25 in Roosevelt County – and three deaths. Local deaths reported were a Curry County male in his 50s and a Curry County female in her 70s Tuesday and a Roosevelt County female in her 50s Wednesday. All three were hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
State health officials announced the state is on track to reach 60% vaccination rate by the end of June. However, the majority of identified positive cases have been variants of concern.
