State COVID-19 Order Closes Zia Park Through Nov. 30
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Photo: Coady Photography
Racing at Zia Park
Live racing has been suspended at Zia Park through Nov. 30 pursuant to COVID-19 restrictions announced Nov. 13 by New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Those restrictions close in-person activities at nonessential businesses, including horse racing, from Nov. 16-30.
The current meet at the Hobbs racetrack is scheduled to run through Dec. 23. Current training days and hours of operation will remain in effect, the track said in a release.
Residents of the state have been instructed to stay at home except for trips essential to health, safety, and welfare.
In a release from the governor's office, Lujan Grisham said the restrictions were necessary due to unsustainable rates of COVID-19 infections and hospitals throughout the state approaching or exceeding capacity for bed availability and staffing. New Mexico's rolling seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases is 1,012, and total COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state have risen at least 214% over the past four weeks. New Mexico recorded 182 COVID-19 deaths over the past two weeks, a state record during the pandemic.
"We had hoped targeted crackdowns, limited hours of operation, and amplified messaging and enforcement would make the difference and slow the spread and relieve our hospitals," Lujan Grisham said in the state's press release. "The public health data make clear, however, that more aggressive restrictions are not only warranted but essential if we are to prevent mass casualties."