BY SARA SCOTT
Los Alamos County Council Chair
By now most of you are aware of the new Stay at Home Instruction issued March 23 by the Secretary of Health Kathy Kunkel which states that New Mexicans “must stay at home and undertake only those outings absolutely necessary for their health, safety or welfare” and further prohibits most gatherings of five or more individuals indoors or outdoors.
It is essential that as a community we have and continue to take the responsibility and important steps needed to limit the transmission of COVID-19 and give our health care system the best chance possible to do its job; it is the best thing we can do to protect each other.
In addition, the Governor’s staff is actively working on expanding testing sites across the state; to achieve this goal the state is aggressively working multiple pathways for securing the personal protective equipment that we need to effectively and safely run these sites across the state. It is important to understand that as testing is expanded, and results provided, an increase in the number of citizens infected with the virus is anticipated to grow accordingly. The status of statewide testing is updated daily at cv.nmhealth.org.
Locally, Los Alamos County will continue to perform essential services. Please continue to call 311 (or 505-662-8333) if you have any questions regarding County services, contact information for organizations that can help with issues such as paying for food or utilities, access to needed services, or how you can help the community at this time. The County also has a COVID-19 button on the front page of our website (losalamosnm.us) where you can find County announcements regarding COVID-19 measures and links to state and national information sources. Remember that if you feel you may have been infected with the Coronavirus, please call the Coronavirus emergency hotline at 855-600-3453 rather than going into a clinic or doctor’s office.
Effective coordination between the County, medical center, public schools, and Los Alamos National Laboratory continues to be important in identifying and addressing needs. Support from Rep. Christine Chandler and NM State offices has been exemplary; we are fortunate to have their razor sharp focus and commitment on how to best to promote the health and well-being of New Mexicans.
Please continue to be considerate about shopping for what you need, and not more, and by allowing those that are most vulnerable to take advantage of the special shopping hours at Smith’s. It is my understanding that the Los Alamos Cooperative Market will be implementing a curbside pickup system on Wednesday, March 25, please check their website for additional information on this new service.
I’ve seen so many examples of how we are caring for others and know that this will continue and grow, but please don’t forget to take care of yourselves as well. Working together our community is doing what it can to minimize the impact of this pandemic challenge; I thank each and every one of you for doing your part.