Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday that the state’s indoor mask mandate is ending immediately.
“I’m delighted not to be wearing a mask,” the governor said, per the Daily Caller.
The governor did not give details in regards to her decision ending the mask mandate, but one can only think about the upcoming midterm elections having something to do with the widespread democratic movement to do so.
A spokeswoman for the state Human Service Department, Jodi McGinnis Porter, said hospitals, health care facilities and congregate care settings will continue to be under a mask requirement.
“This mandate will also stay in place for early childcare K-12 schools where students, teachers and staff are clustered together, until a school district decides to suspend it,” Jodi McGinnis Porter said.
The new public health order allows school districts, private schools and local educational institutions to drop the mask mandates at their own discretion, but continues to require they follow the state’s “reporting, testing, and closure requirements.”
New Mexico has been one of the stricter states when it comes to mask mandates, enforcing fines sometimes up to $5,000 per violation. Indeed, the state’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau imposed more than $300,000 in fines.
