The Las Cruces City Council unanimously adopted a resolution to implement the Las Cruces Safe Promise, as proposed by the Las Cruces Economic Recovery Ad Hoc Board (LCERB), during a Special Meeting conducted by video conference on Friday, July 24.
The Las Cruces Safe Promise is a campaign to encourage Las Cruces residents, visitors, and customers to carry out safe practices such as using a face mask, maintaining at least 6-feet distancing from others, and other Centers for Disease Control and New Mexico Department of Health recommendations aligned with the prevention of the spread of COVID-19. This recommendation ties into the New Mexico Safe Promise as a response to COVID-19 pandemic and for the safe reopening of businesses throughout the state.
The goal of this campaign is to unify New Mexico by keeping communities, residents, and customers safe. The New Mexico Tourism Department launched New Mexico Safe Certified Program aimed at businesses to go through training specific to their industry for COVID-19 safe business practices for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19. The Las Cruces Safe Promise is a grassroot campaign for residents, visitors, and customers, building from the information available and aimed at spreading information to more people.
“I want to thank the members of the committee for their thoughtfulness and hard work,” Mayor Ken Miyagishima said.
Earlier this year, City Council approved Resolution 20-161 to create the LCERB. The LCERB’s purpose is to provide recommendations to the Mayor and City Council on strategies for gradually reopening Las Cruces economy affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in a smart, safe and effective manner that fits the needs of Las Cruces specifically and in alignment with the direction of New Mexico Economic Recovery Council (NMERC).
The board includes representation from restaurant, technology and other industries, nonprofit organizations, the faith ministry, state government, health care, mental and behavioral health care, and labor.
On July 9, the LCERB recommended the “Las Cruces Safe Promise” to City Council for its consideration.
The spread of COVID-19 in the City of Las Cruces and across New Mexico poses a threat to the health, safety, wellbeing and property of City residents due to, among other things, illness from COVID-19, illness-related absenteeism from employment – particularly among public safety and law enforcement personnel and persons engaged in activities and businesses critical to the economy and infrastructure of the City and the state, potential displacement of persons, and closures of schools and other places of public gathering.