Second Round of U.S. Lockdowns Starts as New Mexico Governor Issues 2 Weekly Order

Almost eight months after the first COVID-19 wave in the United States caused a government-ordered shutdown of populations and economies, a surge in coronavirus infections is forcing Americans to be placed back under extreme quarantine conditions.

However, not all governors would close down their states for fear of infectious infections.

The first state official to re-establish a lockout appears to be New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, who released the order on Friday.

Businesses considered to be non-essential” must cease all in-person activities, and those permitted to stay open would have to comply with strict occupancy restrictions. Restaurants can sell deliveries and to-go meals, but the governor’s order does not authorize in-person dining.

Under the order, New Mexico citizens are ordered to stay at home, with the exception of trips deemed to be “important to fitness, protection and security.”

The governor says that the limits will be lifted as of Dec. 1.

New Mexico will use the “Tiered County-by-County System to determine when sites will be opened. The framework will measure counties for epidemic rates and population outbreak benchmarks.

Those who dwell in the Land of Magic are not the only unfortunate souls who would have to suffer a long lockout. Another group shutter is currently ongoing in the Pacific Northwest.

Effective on Wednesday, Oregon will be plunged into a “two-week freeze,” a series of constraints that sounds suspiciously like a lockout.

Is the American economy going to suffer from the second round of lockdowns?

Ordered by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, freeze shutters for gyms, libraries, and drastically cuts the potential for religious facilities.

Also working under a county-by-county re-opening standard, it seems that the Oregon lockout will last even longer than 14 days for some unlucky people.

“Given the evidence and models that we see, my public health experts advise me that certain counties will take more time to flatten the curve,” Brown said in a news release. “So I want to be very clear that there are certain COVID-19 hotspot counties that are going to need to remain in the freeze for more than two weeks.”

Multnomah County, for example, where riot-ridden Portland is the county seat, will freeze for at least four weeks, Brown said.

Not all state officials hurry to close down their own economies and societies because of COVID-19.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves opposed a national lockout by the suspected President-elect Joe Biden earlier this month, and he’s certainly not the only official to feel that way.

With coronavirus outbreaks reaching an all-time peak in the United States, it is clear that the discussion and controversy about lockdowns is far from over.

While the supporters of forced quarantines argue that they help disrupt the viral chain, others point to the damage done to people when they are forced into isolation. Drug usage, suicide, and economic damage tend to be just the tip of the iceberg of lock-down consequences.

With the second round of lockdowns almost definitely on the horizon, it appears like many Americans will be forced to spend another miserable period of time locked in quarantine.