More about reopening
Businesses and facilities are continuing a gradual, phased re-opening process this week, in compliance with the most recent expansion guidelines. While the general requirements for social distancing and the use of face masks remain in effect, restaurants are now open for indoor dining at 50% capacity. Yet for many small businesses, attracting customers and recouping income lost during the pandemic is still a challenge, as tourist traffic remains limited and clients remain cautious about visiting small enclosed shop spaces or eateries. Some smaller cities have addressed this challenge on a community-wide level: in Silver City, the town organized several blocks of street closures to create an open-market style atmosphere, “allowing restaurants and other downtown businesses to spill into the streets — and hopefully generate more sales as they struggle to recover.” In other areas, summer temperatures pushed visitors and residents outdoors; many state and local parks, most of which are now open, drew hikers, campers, and small groups of picnickers eager to get outdoors. To meet the increased need for physical activity and programming during the summer months, the Las Vegas Abe Montoya Recreation Center will reopen it facilities starting Monday 8 June. Initial activities available at the Recreation Center will be limited to Fitness and Wellness. At this time, the swimming pool and gymnasium are not open, and the summer camp and activities programs are not operating. More a schedule of hours, please consult the full announcement or call the Recreation Center at (505) 426-1739. More about summer activities for children Despite the closure of many traditional programs due to the coronavirus, New Mexico continues to offer resources and support for activities and programming for children during the summer. The New Mexico State Summer Youth Programs web page provides an alphabetical listing of current summer programs for children in New Mexico, which includes many online exhibits from museums and historic sites, as well as specific online programs made available through the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. New Mexico Kids also offers a well developed listing of home learning resources for parents and families that can inspire hours of learning and engagement. In Las Vegas, the joint efforts of the 100% Community group partners, including collaboration among several action teams, have created the Mask Parade Giveaway, an initiative designed to communicate a message of “safety, hope and joy to San Miguel county youth and families during this unprecedented period of great need and limited resources.” The event, which is a vehicle parade, will take place Saturday 20 June, between 11-1. The parade route will center around New Mexico Highlands University’s Melody Park and will feature stops along the way for information, give-aways, and goodies. The final stop will bring participants to a parking area where they can confirm or complete their census filing and enter a prize drawing for one of several gift cards, including one $500 grand prize card. Don’t miss this fun, exciting event for the entire family. For more information, refer to the local Community 100% website or call the El Valle Community Center at 575-421-0808. Schools explore options for fall, summer programs open Despite the declining rates of coronavirus cases in New Mexico and the gradual re-opening of the economy, the question of when and how schools will open this fall remains complex and uncertain. Last week, a task force was formed by the Public Education Department “to develop a reopening plan for schools as it seeks to balance public health concerns with needs to restart classroom learning ….” Among the critical points under discussion are the degree to which schools will be able to convene on campus in physical classrooms this fall, and how districts will manage COVID safe protocols if they do. At issue is not only the need to ensure that all students meet social distancing requirements and wear masks, but also the necessity of securing the extra resources to support additional custodial and nursing staff who can manage the increase in sanitizing, cleaning, and health checking that will need to be put into place. With schools scheduled to begin August 11th this year, the task force is under pressure to develop a plan that addresses concerns of parents, school staff, and a wide variety of district circumstances while remaining responsive to the shifting landscape of the pandemic as it unfolds over the next two months. In the more immediate future, several summer programs, such as those offered by the Albuquerque YMCA, are re-opening and offering in-person activities and camps throughout the summer. In San Miguel County, the West Las Vegas School District decided to roll out its summer session in a distance-learning-only format. Sessions, which began Monday and will run through June, are held Monday – Thursday through Google classrooms, where teachers will engage with students online. The program will end June 25th. For more information or to enroll, contact your school principal or call Elaine Gonzales at 505-426-2563. Pecos gets Wifi hotspots Thanks to the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC) and the leadership efforts of Community Learning Network director Jennifer Case-Nevarez, the Pecos school district was able last week to acquire two new wifi hotspots for the school campus. The hotspots, both of which were mounted outside, will broadcast free wifi across a large portion of the parking lot and adjacent outdoor areas of the high school, middle school, and elementary school buildings. The points will enable students to use the school's high speed internet connection to complete online school assignments while being outdoors and remaining socially distanced. This increased access is significant within the Pecos community, where high speed broadband service is largely unavailable and cell service is spotty even in the center of town. The installation was provided at no cost from the ITDRC and the devices and coordination effort was donated by Case-Nevarez, who also runs New Mexico TechWorks. Thanks to everyone who helped facilitate this important step for digital equity in Pecos. Restaurants re-opening for indoor dining Following Governor Lujan-Grisham’s updated directives announced last week at her news conference, restaurants across the state are preparing to open for inside dining on Monday 1 June. While limits remain in place for capacity and all COVID Safe Practices continue to apply, the opening of inside dining is both a recognition of and a response to the fact that New Mexico, which reached its peak of the coronavirus disease on May 1st, has continued to see a decline in the rate of new cases and is meeting the gating criteria set for the next phase of re-opening. The amended order also includes the limited re-opening of gyms, salons, and indoor malls. The revisions will impact other facilities and services, which will now have restrictions lifted or moderated. These include:
To support restaurants as they move into this next phase while continuing the reassure patrons and potential visitors of their commitment to safety amidst the pandemic, the New Mexico Restaurant Association has compiled a collection of resources that address restaurant-specific needs in relation to the virus. These includes guides to compliant floor plans, cleaning, and sanitizing guides, as well as protocols for exposure. The association, in partnership with New Mexico Environment Department, has also designed a responsible restaurant re-opening “Promise Poster” that can be displayed and can help re-assure diners that a particular restaurant is abiding by broader, statewide safety guidelines to keep patrons (and staff!) safe. Election Day Tuesday 2 June 2020 On another important note – primary elections in New Mexico are just two days away. If you have not already voted, please make sure to visit your polling place on Tuesday 2 June. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and all COVID Safe Practices will apply during voting and within the polling facilities. Social distancing will be required both while waiting in line and inside the polling facility, and voting materials will be sanitized after each use. In addition, everyone must wear a face mask. If you do not have a face mask, or forget to bring one with you, you can request a mask from the poll workers when you arrive. For questions, or to confirm your polling location, please call the San Miguel County Clerk’s Office at (505) 425-9331. In an update to existing health orders made on Tuesday 26 May, Governor Lujan-Grisham announced a "soft re-opening" for restaurants, effective today, Wednesday 27 May. According to the announcement made on the New Mexico Department of Health website, the updated order allows restaurants to offer "dine-in service in outdoor seating areas at up to 50 percent of their outdoor area fire code occupancy. The following stipulations apply:
A broader opening for restaurants is still planned for for June 1st. According to the Governor's statement in the announcement, this soft opening will provide "an opportunity for restaurants to begin preparing for a wider reopening next week." COVID Safe Practices for restaurants will continue to apply and must be adhered to during this soft opening phase. As state rates of infection fall and businesses begin the process of phased reopening, many are experiencing a sense of relief and hope for the first time in months. But amid this optimism, questions remain. For families with young children, especially for those in which parents are unable to work from home or in which extended family members are not available to provide childcare support, the questions of if, and when, summer programs will operate, and how safe they will be if they do open, remain some of the most pressing considerations. Nationally, some communities plan to open programs for children and youth this summer, but these programs will be complex to implement, as the need to follow safety protocols will require additional resources and will be difficult to prepare for by the time summer programs are slated to start. According to the CDC guidance for summer programs for youth and children, recommendations include extensive hygiene practices, symptom monitoring, reduced program group size, staggered schedules and limited group mixing. These recommendations, together with local state requirements, which in New Mexico require face masks and social distancing, are necessary for keeping children safe but can be difficult to enforce, especially in younger age groups, and add challenges to preparation for, and delivery of, safe programs. Those states or localities that are offering summer youth programs are generally doing so with greatly reduced numbers, often operating at one tenth of their normal capacity. Others are opting to increase safety precautions even more by placing additional restrictions on transportation to and from the program, in order to further limit exposure and contagion through mixing with broader populations. All these adjustments, which require additional staff and equipment while decreasing program revenues, require substantial sources of funding which may not be readily available. In New Mexico, some summer programs, such as Albuquerque Public School's Summer Learning Adventure and Elementary K5+ Programming, have decided to close, while others will offer online, distance–learning, based options only. In San Miguel County, most summer programs for youth and children, such as those offered by city recreation centers and local school districts, are still in the process of being decided, as leaders weigh the relative risks and benefits of in-person programming, and assess their ability to meet all safety guidelines and support the increased expense of doing so in time for a rapidly approaching summer session. The New Mexico Out of School Time Network provides excellent resources, frameworks, and options for considering these issues, including a recording of a recent panel discussion on Best Practices and Contingency Planning for Summer 2020, especially useful for administrators who are currently making these complicated choices. Additional resources include Educational Activities from Home and Support for Teachers and Administrators. While options for summer programs this year may remain limited, consideration of these challenges is an important step in determining how schools might open next fall, even on a partial basis. |
AuthorEl Valle Community Center maintains these newspostings and distributes them through a newsletter. Subscribe. Archives
April 2021
Categories |