Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said Tuesday he is “optimistic” that improving numbers may mean the city can soon shed the strictest COVID-19-related restrictions.
During a virtual media briefing, Keller said unofficial data show that Bernalillo County — where Albuquerque is located — has a test positivity rate low enough to reach the “yellow” level in New Mexico’s three-tier COVID-19 framework. Bernalillo, like most New Mexico counties, is presently in “red,” the most restrictive level. Moving to yellow would allow restaurants to reopen indoor dining at 25% capacity and for retailers and houses of worship to allow slightly more people inside.
The state makes the official designations based COVID-19 risk measurements averaged over two-week cycles.
Keller said the county remains far from advancing based on per capita daily case counts, but appears to have dipped beneath the 5% COVID-19 test positivity rate needed to move to yellow.
When the state provided its most recent update last Wednesday, Bernalillo County had a 6.68% positivity rate. Keller said unofficial data Tuesday shows about 4.7%.
The state’s next update is not until next week, and Keller stressed that nothing is official until then and there remained plenty of time for the numbers to change for the better or worse. He urged continued social distancing, mask usage and testing.
“We all need to do what we can to push us over that line to get to yellow,” he said.
