CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY FOURTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-20-38 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Brook Bassan
RESOLUTION
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Calling On The Governor And Mayor To Establish A Protocol For The Re-Opening Of Businesses Deemed Non-Essential During The Covid-19 Public Health Emergency (Bassan)
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WHEREAS, on March 11, 2020 Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued Executive Order 2020-004, Order Declaring a State of Public Health Emergency relating to the spread of COVID-19;and
WHEREAS, in subsequent weeks the New Mexico Department of Health has issued orders limiting public gatherings and requiring non-essential businesses to close or limit business activity; and
WHEREAS, On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the U.S. government’s Phase 3 aid package to provide relief due to the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”); and
WHEREAS, the CARES Act includes provisions for additional reimbursement to governmental entities for unemployment insurance relief, due to the rapid increase in unemployment claims due to the Coronavirus response; and
WHEREAS, some hospitals in New Mexico are placing employees on furlough or reducing employees’ work hours and pay due to significant decreases in volume and utilization of services; and
WHEREAS, the Federal government has provided guidelines, “Opening Up America Again”, a three-phased approach to recovery based on the advice of public health officials; and
WHEREAS, the future needs of the City to recover from the Coronavirus public health emergency may not necessarily align with the needs of other rural communities in New Mexico, or the State as a whole.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
SECTION 1. That the City Council calls upon Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Mayor Tim Keller to establish protocols for the re-opening of businesses deemed non-essential during the Coronavirus response. The protocols should take into consideration the ability for health providers and public safety personnel to continue providing needed services in an effective manner.
SECTION 2. That the City Council requests that Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham allow for special protocols for the City of Albuquerque to re-open those businesses deemed non-essential during the Coronavirus response, given its size and additional capacity to provide health and public safety services, as compared with that of other municipalities in New Mexico.
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