Drop Dead Fred
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Way to go! Another Democratic governor thinks that she knows what is best for everyone else. So if just four employees (out of hundreds in a giant store like Wal-Mart) test positive within 14 days of each other, the entire store is forced to shut down.
Meanwhile, the grocery stores that are still open are being forced to operate at only 25% capacity.
But hey, it's not as if food falls under the "essential" category, right?
www.abqjournal.com
Closures of NM groceries raise concerns
November 21, 2020
Anna Hagele typically shops for groceries for her and her four children at the Walmart Supercenter on Herrera Drive in Santa Fe because she likes the prices.
However, on Friday, Hagele found herself waiting in a line of 40 people outside a local Albertsons, after the state announced Wednesday the Herrera Drive Walmart would be closed for the next two weeks – one of a dozen grocery stores in New Mexico closed in recent weeks due to multiple cases of COVID-19 among workers.
The Herrera Drive Walmart is one of three grocery stores currently closed in Santa Fe under an edict that allows the New Mexico Department of Health to close workplaces down for two weeks if they have four or more COVID-19 rapid responses in a 14-day period.
Each of the three groceries closed in Santa Fe serves residents on the city’s Southside, leaving fewer choices for food in an area already starving for options.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has labeled large swaths of the Southside as a food desert, meaning area residents lack healthy food options. That designation is due to the high number of low-income people in the area combined with the lack of accessible food sources, according to the USDA.
Hagele said the limited options for groceries has concerned many of her neighbors and is part of the reason lines for food were so long.
“I think everybody’s a little like, ‘Oh no, we got to go get our groceries. Everything’s going to close down,'” she said.
State-mandated closures at grocery stores come as coronavirus cases rocket out of control across New Mexico. But community leaders and elected officials from across the state have voiced concerns that closing large grocery stores turns up the pressure on residents and still-open businesses – particularly in rural and low-income areas.
Kintigh said the closures have already started to place more pressure on the city’s remaining grocery stores. With essential businesses required to operate at no more than 25% of capacity or 75 customers, whichever is less, under the state’s most recent health order and Thanksgiving right around the corner, Kintigh said he expects long lines at grocery stores to persist until the two closed stores are allowed to reopen.
He said he’s worried about a situation where Roswell residents feel like they need to cross state lines and drive to Lubbock, Texas – about 170 miles east – just to get groceries.
Meanwhile, the grocery stores that are still open are being forced to operate at only 25% capacity.
But hey, it's not as if food falls under the "essential" category, right?
Closures of NM groceries raise concerns
Long lines, limited access among problems raised by area leaders
Closures of NM groceries raise concerns
November 21, 2020
Anna Hagele typically shops for groceries for her and her four children at the Walmart Supercenter on Herrera Drive in Santa Fe because she likes the prices.
However, on Friday, Hagele found herself waiting in a line of 40 people outside a local Albertsons, after the state announced Wednesday the Herrera Drive Walmart would be closed for the next two weeks – one of a dozen grocery stores in New Mexico closed in recent weeks due to multiple cases of COVID-19 among workers.
The Herrera Drive Walmart is one of three grocery stores currently closed in Santa Fe under an edict that allows the New Mexico Department of Health to close workplaces down for two weeks if they have four or more COVID-19 rapid responses in a 14-day period.
Each of the three groceries closed in Santa Fe serves residents on the city’s Southside, leaving fewer choices for food in an area already starving for options.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has labeled large swaths of the Southside as a food desert, meaning area residents lack healthy food options. That designation is due to the high number of low-income people in the area combined with the lack of accessible food sources, according to the USDA.
Hagele said the limited options for groceries has concerned many of her neighbors and is part of the reason lines for food were so long.
“I think everybody’s a little like, ‘Oh no, we got to go get our groceries. Everything’s going to close down,'” she said.
State-mandated closures at grocery stores come as coronavirus cases rocket out of control across New Mexico. But community leaders and elected officials from across the state have voiced concerns that closing large grocery stores turns up the pressure on residents and still-open businesses – particularly in rural and low-income areas.
Kintigh said the closures have already started to place more pressure on the city’s remaining grocery stores. With essential businesses required to operate at no more than 25% of capacity or 75 customers, whichever is less, under the state’s most recent health order and Thanksgiving right around the corner, Kintigh said he expects long lines at grocery stores to persist until the two closed stores are allowed to reopen.
He said he’s worried about a situation where Roswell residents feel like they need to cross state lines and drive to Lubbock, Texas – about 170 miles east – just to get groceries.
