COVID-19 update: Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Note: These statistics include updates from Tuesday afternoon, June 23, 2020.

New Mexico 10,838 cases, 302,083 tests (3.59% pos), 476 died, 4,874 recovered, 141 hospitalized. June 22: 10,694 cases, 298,076 tests (3.59%), 469 died, 4,742 recovered, 139 hospitalized.

Doña Ana County 740 cases, 26,610 tests (2.78% pos), 8 died, 386 recovered. June 22: 734 cases, 26,278 tests (2.79%), 6 died, 376 recovered.

Texas 120,370 cases, 1,805,642 tests (6.67% pos), 2,220 died, 70,714 recovered, 4,092 hospitalized.

June 22: 114,881 cases, 1,767,701 tests (6.5%), 2,192 died, 69,190 recovered, 3,711 hospitalized.

El Paso County 4,677 cases, 44,256 tests (10.56% pos), 122 died, 3,301 recovered, 95 hospitalized.

June 22: 4,553 cases, 43,758 tests (10.4%), 120 died, 3,191 recovered, 95 hospitalized.

Mexico 185,122 cases, 22,584 died, 140,118 recovered. June 22: 180,545 cases, 21,825 died, 135,279 recovered.

Estado de Chihuahua 4,036 cases, 580 died, 751 recovered. June 22: 3,973 cases, 562 died.

Cuidad Juarez 2,074 cases, 460 died. June 22: 2,058 cases, 447 died.

United States 2,381,099 cases, 122,789 died, 738,007 recovered. June 22: 2,324,956 cases, 121,766 died, 721,716 recovered.

Worldwide 9,154,232 cases (1,177/M), 473,650 died, 4,585,022 recovered. June 22: 8,985,016 cases (1,156/M), 468,881 died, 4,455,591 recovered.

Population estimates: Worldwide 7.8B; US 331M; NM 2.1M, Doña Ana County 218T; TX 29.9M, El Paso County 841T; Mexico 129M, Estado de Chihuahua 3M, Cuidad Juarez 1.5M.

Also of note (June 23)

City council considers city manager candidates

Meeting in closed session June 23, the Las Cruces City Council was expected to choose a handful of finalists from a field of nine candidates to be the new city manager.

The nine are former City of Bedford, Texas city manager Brian Bosshardt; senior advisor to the UTEP president Estrella Escobar; Chula Vista, California City Manager Gary Halbert; consultant and former McKinney, Texas deputy city manager Jose Madrigal; Los Lunas, New Mexico Village Administrator Gregory Martin; Jefferson County, Colorado Director of Strategy, Planning and Analysis Mary O’Neil; Eagle Mountain, Utah City Administrator Ifo Pili; Barrow County, Georgia County Manager Michael Renshaw; and Commerce City, Colorado Deputy City Manager Troy Smith.

The nine were selected from among 63 applicants for the job by Novak Consulting Group, the Cincinnati-based recruiting company hired by the city. The council is expected to conduct in-person or Zoom interviews with the finalists July 21-22.

Martin was a finalist during the first round of the selection process that ended earlier this year. The council did not choose a new city manager from that group, so the position was re-posted.

Las Cruces has not had a permanent city manager since Stuart Ed resigned in April 2019. The process to replace Ed was delayed in part by the November 2019 city election, as Mayor Ken Miyagishima and then council members wanted the current council, with two new members sworn in Jan. 1, to choose the new city manager. David Maestas is the interim city manager.

Recount ordered in county commission race

The state canvassing board met June 23 and ordered a recount in the Doña Ana County Commission District 4 Democratic primary. In that race, former county magistrate Susana Chaparro received 1,649 votes (42.42 percent) to 1,624 votes (41.78 percent) for Debra Ann Hathaway; Sam Bradley was third with 614 votes (15.8 percent). By state statute, the recount was mandated because the 25-vote margin between the top two candidates is less than one-half of one percent of the total votes cast in the race. The recount is expected to begin June 29. The winner will face Stacie Michelle Durham in November. Durham won the Republican primary by 36 votes – 1,262 (45.56 percent) to 1,226 (44.26 percent) for Richard J. Reynaud – Jesus O. Oropeza was third with 282 votes (10.18 percent).

The commission seat is currently held by Isabella Solis, who was first elected as in 2016 as a Democrat and could have run for re-election. Solis switched to Republican after an unsuccessful run for mayor last November and filed to run for state representative District 37 as a Republican. That New Mexico House seat, located entirely in Doña Ana County, is currently held by Democrat Joanne Ferrary.

New Mexico leads in COVID-19 restrictions

The personal finance website WalletHub released updated rankings Tuesday, June 23, showing New Mexico is the state with the most COVID-19 restrictions, which are (1=fewest, 25=average) 17: requirement to wear a face mask in public; 31: reopening of childcare programs; 45: travel restrictions; 35: large-gathering restrictions; 46: strictness of shelter-in-place order; 23: reopening of non-essential businesses; and 50: reopening of restaurants and bars.

WalletHub said South Dakota has the fewest restrictions of any state. It issued no COVID-19-related guidance, has no limitations on large gatherings, is one of six states (with Nevada, North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Arkansas) that didn’t order shelter in place during the pandemic and is the only state that didn’t close bars and restaurants.

Visit https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-fewest-coronavirus-restrictions/73818/.