End of New Mexico's mask mandate greeted with cheers; sports fans, players excited

Feb. 18—When Alana Juarez-Acevedo walked into the wrestling room at Santa Fe High School, she was met with the best news she heard Thursday: Masks were not mandatory for practice.

A sophomore, Juarez-Acavedo, said she was not aware of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's announcement earlier in the day that the state's indoor mask mandate was over, effective immediately.

It was music to her ears, especially as she prepares for the State Girls Wrestling Championships on Saturday.

"It's kinda of a relief," Juarez-Acevedo said. "It's going to be nice during matches to take it off, and the fresh air will be nice. It's hard to to wrestle with masks. It restricts your breathing."

Many New Mexicans rejoiced in the ability to breathe free Thursday. New Mexico was one of only two states still under an indoor mask mandate. The other was Hawaii.

The governor had been under increasing pressure to drop the mandate in recent weeks. On Thursday, the final day of the legislative session, she insisted politics did not play a role in the decision.

She said she "won't waver" on the effectiveness of those masks and said she would not visit her elderly mother without wearing one.

"Not today, not tomorrow and I think likely, I may never visit her without a mask because my primary concern is her health and safety," Lujan Grisham said.

Though the mandate was lifted, there are exceptions in many places. According to a news release from the Governor's Office, an updated health order states masks will remain in effect for congregate settings, including hospitals, nursing homes and detention facilities. Masks in schools will be the province of school boards and other governing bodies.

Santa Fe Public Schools' mask mandate remains in place; administrators will meet Tuesday to discuss protocols and will conduct a survey to gauge community opinion.

National Education Association New Mexico President Mary Parr-Sanchez spoke in favor of Lujan Grisham's move in a statement released by the union Thursday afternoon.

"I know that students will be much happier without the mask mandates, and I know that their learning will be accelerated, give that they can now see the full facial expressions of educators that feel safe removing their masks," Parr-Sanchez said.

Class is not in session Friday, to accommodate parent teacher conferences, nor Monday, in honor of Presidents Day.

"We've kind of been lucky with the announcement that we have a couple [of] days of students not in school," Superintendent Hilario "Larry" Chavez said at Thursday night's school board meeting.

Masking rules at schools and for activities will remain in place in the meantime, Chavez said.

As of Thursday evening, the district reported 16 contagious cases on school campuses, including one that was shown to have been contracted on a campus, and seven with unclear origins that might have been contracted on a campus.

Via verbal and written comments, several parents urged the district to make masks optional during the board meeting.

"I think what we heard tonight is that lots of people feel like it's a personal choice, and that is certainly a valid perspective," said board member Sarah Boses, who called for a community survey on the matter. "I want the most vulnerable people to also feel comfortable and safe in schools."

Board President Kate Noble expressed hope that the decision-making process would not make the community "more divided."

First felt in sports

The effects of the governor's decisions were first felt Thursday night in athletics.

For athletes, coaches and fans in New Mexico, the news was warmly received. But that didn't mean games will immediately return to a version of normal not seen since March 11, 2020 — the first day coronavirus cases were reported in the state.

Sally Marquez, the executive director for the New Mexico Activities Association, which oversees high school athletics, said the organization was following the state's lead and lifting its mask mandate, with a caveat.

"That is a local decision," Marquez said in a video the NMAA released. "As far as the NMAA is concerned, we are lifting that mandate. However, that school or school district can make that determination that masks need to be worn in their schools."

The University of New Mexico lifted its mask mandate for events in The Pit, but athletic director Eddie Nuñez said the school will still require fans to prove vaccination or test negative for COVID-19 before entering the arena. Nuñez wore a mask for Thursday night's men's basketball game between the Lobos and Colorado State. He encouraged his staff to do the same and left the option open for fans to continue using face coverings.

"But we ask everybody to please respect those around them that actually do feel that this is their preference and their decision to do so," Nuñez said. "We encourage them to do it, especially having spoken to our hospital folks and understanding that there's still a challenge that they face."

New Mexico's high school athletes, especially those in indoor sports, have endured almost two years of mask-wearing for practices, workouts and competition. Many players complained during that span about how restrictive and annoying they found the masks.

Santa Fe Public Schools athletic director Marc Ducharme said the district continued with its mask requirement.

While Santa Fe High wrestlers were premature in ditching them, the girls basketball team competed with masks during its home game Thursday evening against Albuquerque Rio Grande, which also had its players wear masks. About 90 percent of spectators in Toby Roybal Memorial Gymnasium were maskless.

St. Michael's High School athletic director Kevin Garcia said the school is still weighing its options, while Santa Fe Prep athletic director Todd Kurth said the school will continue to require fans, coaches and athletes to wear masks at basketball games.

Demonettes head girls basketball coach Nate Morris said he expects the school district will eventually relax mask requirements, but he will abide by whatever it determines is the best course of action for students and athletes. He added, players, in general, are growing weary of wearing them.

"They are getting tired it, but on the other side of it, they are used to it," Morris said. "And for the majority of the season, we've done a good job of keeping our masks up."

Daniel Chacón, Jessica Pollard and Will Webber contributed to this story.