Update: COVID-19 Emergency Response Protocol - March 13, 2020
Village of Ruidoso Update Regarding COVID-19
RUIDOSO, NM – March 13, 2020 – The Village of Ruidoso continues to implement an emergency response protocol for the rapidly developing Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). The Village of Ruidoso has taken several steps to prepare the community and is working on contingency plans and addressing potential gaps in emergency services.
Some of these steps include:
Identifying resources for the continuance of village services
Increasing cleaning of public places such as public restrooms and regularly touched surfaces on Village property like door handles, railings, counters, desks, etc.
Identifying facilities and resources needed for emergency response
Gathering personal protective equipment (PPE)
Preparing employees and elected officials for the possibility of teleworking
Reviewing leave policies
Continue educating the public on preparedness and resources
“We’ve been in communication throughout the day with the Lincoln County Medical Center (LCMC), Lincoln County Emergency Management Services, local law enforcement agencies, the local school district and the New Mexico Department of Health regarding COVID-19 emergency response. We’ve increased cleaning across the Village and implemented our emergency response plan,” said Mayor Lynn Crawford.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday that New Mexico K-12 public schools will close for three weeks, effective Monday, March 16, to mitigate the risk of community spread of COVID-19. New Mexico state health officials on Friday morning announced four more New Mexico residents who tested presumptive positive for COVID-19, adding to the six presumptive positive tests earlier this week. The New Mexico Department of Health issued a Public Health Emergency Order to Limit Mass Gatherings Due to COVID-19 on Thursday, March 12, 2020.
The governor and Department of Health are urging New Mexicans to:
Remain home from work or school if you are sick
Avoid all non-essential travel to affected out-of-state areas, and exercise extreme caution with all out-of-state travel
Remain home (“self-isolate”) if you are sick and call the Department of Health at 1-855-600-3453 if you are exhibiting any of the symptoms of COVID-19. Those symptoms include fever, cough or trouble breathing
And continue taking precautionary steps to protect your health and the health of others, such as:
Washing your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
Clean “high-touch” surfaces daily with regular household cleaners
Avoid sharing personal household items
Please call the Coronavirus Hotline at 1-855-600-3453 if you are experiencing symptoms.
The Village will continue to provide new updates from NMDOH on the VOR website (www.ruidoso-nm.gov/coronavirus-covid-19) and on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/villageofruidoso/).
In addition, other valuable resources that are constantly being updated are available at the CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html) and the New Mexico Department of Health website (https://cv.nmhealth.org/).
