The mayor of Grants, New Mexico, has allowed small businesses in the town to reopen on Monday in defiance of the governor’s order to close down all businesses amidst the CCP virus health emergency, according to multiple reports.
The Associated Press reported that the mayor’s move to reopen small businesses came after several rural communities were pressuring their local and state government officials to reopen businesses in order to help curb the rise of unemployment and economic difficulties.
“On Monday … we are reopening Grants,” said Grants Mayor Martin “Modey” Hicks, according to Daily Mail. “Yes we are, we are going to follow the CDC guidelines. We are going to do the social distancing, but we will be open for business even though that is against the governor’s executive order.”
Daily Mail reported that the town was suffering from the lockdown order and in order to make sure that businesses in the town stay afloat, they would be allowed to reopen.
Furthermore, the mayor said that he promised there would be a “confrontation” between the police in Grant and the state police, according to CBS News.
“There will be a confrontation down here. I guarantee you there. I’ve ordered the police to stop any State Police officer who comes into the town and tries to shut them down,” Hicks said.
Hicks said that he will fight New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s order, saying, “I am prepared to take whatever she wants to give me because she is already killing us anyway. What she going to do she hasn’t already done to us? She has taken all of our jobs. What she going to do, come put me in jail?”
Hicks also argued that only a portion of individuals in New Mexico had been infected by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, and that it did not make any sense for the small businesses in the town to stay closed.
According to Hicks, Grisham was killing the state over “a little bug.”
Grisham, however, said that Hicks’s plans made no sense, and said that the state police will still be enforcing the lockdown for the health order.
“This notion that you don’t have to comply is wrong. That you can just open up businesses and not worry about public health issues is really quite frankly tantamount to opening up a public pool and having a pee section,” Grisham said, according to Daily Mail.
According to the order, individuals who deny the order to close unnecessary businesses will be given a warning on their first offence, and if caught defying the order, a $100-fine will be issued.
A fine of up to $5,000 will be issued for third-time offences, Daily Mail reported.
