City of Farmington announces facility closures in accordance with governor’s public health order
FARMINGTON, N.M. – The City of Farmington today announces closure of facilities and modified programming. “The closures are for the safety of our patrons in accordance with the governor’s public health order issued this morning,” explained Farmington city manager Rob Mayes. “Most of these are mandatory, all are strongly advised by the governor’s direction.”
Beginning Friday, March 13, the following facilities will be closed until further notice:
- E Children’s Museum
- Farmington Aquatic Center
- Farmington Recreation Center
- Sycamore Park Community Center
- Lions Pool
- Farmington Indian Center
- Bonnie Dallas Senior Center: Facility and regular programming will be closed. Meals on Wheels will continue and congregate meals will be served to-go in a drive-through process.
The following facilities will remain open with modified programming until further notice:
- Farmington Civic Center: Large public events will be cancelled by order of the governor. Small private events will have the option to continue.
- Farmington Public Library: Will remain open for check-outs and computer use, with all other activities and programming suspended. The library’s online services are always available 24/7 and assistance is available by phone at (505) 599-1270. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Farmington Museum, including Museum of Navajo Art and Culture: Facilities and exhibits will remain open, including the Gridiron Glory: The Best of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Inside Out exhibits. Children entering the center must be accompanied by an adult.
- Riverside Nature Center: Will remain open; however, large group tours will be suspended until further notice. Children entering the center must be accompanied by an adult.
- Farmington Regional Animals Shelter will also remain open; however, large group tours will be suspended until further notice. The shelter’s dog walking program and adoption services will remain open.
Pinon Hills and Civitan golf courses will remain open without modifications.
Mayor Duckett emphasized, “It’s important for everyone to follow the guidelines set forth by health care professionals to reduce the spread of this illness. These are simple steps we all can take to help keep our community safe. Those steps are washing your hands often for a minimum of 20 seconds, covering your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, staying home when you are sick and practicing social distancing, which is keeping a distance of 6 feet from other people while in public places.”
The City of Farmington will be posting facility closures and modified programming on their website at fmtn.org tomorrow.
They City’s public information officer Georgette Allen explained, “The City and partnering organizations will be pushing out information via Facebook and Nextdoor. Please follow the City, San Juan Regional Medical Center and San Juan County Office of Emergency Management’s Facebook pages. If you prefer not to use Facebook, please download and sign up for the Nextdoor app. This is an important platform used by City and County organizations to communicate important information to our community.” In addition, local information is available on the City’s website at fmtn.org, the County’s website at sjcounty.net and San Juan Regional Medical Center’s website at sanjuanregional.com.
The Office of the Governor has set up a coronavirus hotline and is encouraging individuals who are sick to call it for a preassessment prior to heading to their healthcare provider. That number is 855-600-3453. To read the governor’s Public Health Order, visit https://nmhealth.org/publication/view/help/5668/
Additional information about the coronavirus is available on the Centers for Disease Control’s website at cdc.gov. Individuals may sign up to receive email updates.
The City would also like to remind citizens to share information with individuals who do not use the internet.