But will it stay there?
by Sharon Niederman
COLFAX — On January 12, 2021, the NM Department of Health announced Colfax County joined an elite group of NM counties – seven, to be exact – that was out of the red.
With red marking the most restrictive COVID-cautious conditions on the state’s tiered county-by-county “Red to Green” rating system, a move to yellow indicates a level of community improvement the state deems sufficient to allow greater public interactions.
According to this system, red indicates very high risk, yellow is high risk, and green signifies medium risk for contagion. A bi-weekly accounting of each county’s metrics determines whether the county will stay the same, fall back, or advance in its ability to open up.
The two key health metrics used to determine where a county sits within the tiered framework are per-capita incidence of new COVID-19 cases and average COVID-19 test positivity.
To be deemed ‘yellow’, a county must have either a new COVID-19 case incidence rate of no greater than 8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants during the most recent two-week period, or an average percent of positive COVID-19 test results over the most recent 14-day period less than or equal to 5 percent.
Yellow status means food and drink establishments may be open at 25 percent capacity; lodging at 60 percent; retail at 25 percent; and close contact businesses at 25 percent. A ten o’clock curfew remains in effect.
All other public health measures, such as masking and social distancing, remain in effect regardless of color classification.
The next updated “Red to Green” map arrives Feb. 10, 2021.
