MLG relaxes grocery store orders after report of statewide ‘breadline’ protests goes viral

On Wednesday, after the Piñon Post exclusively reported on a statewide protest against Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s breadlines at grocery stores due to a 75-person capacity limit, the Governor has loosened the restriction to 25% capacity at grocery stores and big-box stores.

Thousands of New Mexicans shared the Piñon Post’s story about the protest which was planned for this Saturday, December 19th at 11:00 a.m. in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Clovis, Santa Fe, Portales, Edgewood, Roswell, Farmington, Alamogordo, Ruidoso, Grants, and Carlsbad. It appears all that noise from Piñon Post viewers led the Governor to let up on her restrictions. The mainstream media refused to cover the planned protests by multiple groups across the state.

The new orders by the New Mexico Department of Health read as follows:

The state’s emergency public health order on Wednesday was amended to accommodate slightly increased capacity inside essential retail spaces, such as grocery stores and certain other large “big box” retailers that generate a percentage of their revenue from consumable food and drink products, as cold weather grips most of New Mexico.

In accordance with the state’s graduated red-to-green system of measuring the risk of viral spread in specific counties, the changes establish that essential retail spaces:

May operate at 50 percent of maximum occupancy at the Green Level

May operate at 33 percent of maximum occupancy at the Yellow Level

May operate at 25 percent of maximum occupancy at the Red Level

Previously, essential retail spaces could operate with either a limit on maximum occupancy or a specific number of customers at one time, whichever was smaller. The change eliminates the latter provision.

Lujan Grisham said, “With colder weather here, we want to ensure that people aren’t gathering in lines for an unsafe length of time, especially in communities where there are fewer retail options for essential needs. We are grateful to the numerous companies and stores across New Mexico that have made every effort to keep their customers, employees and communities safe.” 

However, when the strict grocery store limits originally took effect, the weather was well into the 40s and on some days below freezing. The Piñon Post reported on many people, including elders and those with pre-existing conditions waiting in the cold lines to retrieve basic goods such as bread, eggs, milk, and toilet paper. 

The Governor’s press office repeatedly downplayed New Mexicans’ suffering due to her edict, with the Governor’s communications director claiming the breadlines were simply a “minor inconvenience,” while another statement from her office said the breadlines were just a “Republican talking point.”