SW New Mexico News

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham extended the stay-at-home order to May 15, but the New Mexico Republican Party (NMRP) released a press release, which said the extension doesn't make sense. 

The NMRP said in the press release that by extending the order, Grisham doesn't have a solid plan for what to do next, which puts the state's economy at risk as businesses fail and unemployment rises. Although the governor extended the order, she also announced that there are plans to begin reopening the state. 

While the governor is allowing chain businesses to reopen and send New Mexican money out-of-state, locally owned businesses are dying, the release said. 

“The governor cannot pick and choose winners and losers in this dire situation. She fails to understand that we can responsibly social distance at small businesses and do what’s right to protect our citizens while saving our economy,” Steve Pearce, Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman, said in the release. “Our state is going under, and peoples’ livelihoods are being lost. We may never recover from this unless the governor reopens New Mexico for the little guy. They make this state run. And it’s all about fairness.”

But David Scrase, new Mexico Human Services Secretary and a physician, told La Cruces Sun News that "New Mexico has actually flattened the curve," which leads the NMRP to say the stay-at-home extension doesn't make sense. 

But Grisham has implemented a committee, which will help her decide how to phase the state back into an open economy, according to the press release.

Once things start to reopen, Grisham said social distancing will remain normal until there is an approved vaccine, according to La Cruces Sun News. 

"We're not out of this fight yet," Lujan Grisham said in a statement. "Until we have a vaccine, this virus lives among us."

But the House GOP argued that Grisham's council is "a poor excuse to 'resolve' the problem," and also said there were no details for the plan, according to La Cruces Sun News.

"How will decisions be made? Which businesses will get priority? Why should they get priority? Where in the state?" the House GOP said in the release. "No answers. The governor seems to be passing the buck to a group that will now advise her."