COVID-19 in Silver City

June 5, 2020 – Correspondent Laura Paskus continues her series of interviews with journalists around the state as they cover COVID-19 in their communities. Southwestern New Mexico’s Grant County has escaped large numbers of COVID-19 cases. But the state’s public health orders on social distancing and business closures stoked political controversy. One Silver City restaurant remained open during the restaurant closures, for example, which attracted the attention of groups like Cowboys for Trump, as well as local people upset by racist rhetoric around the issue. Geoffrey Plant of the Silver City Daily Press talks about what happened and looks ahead to tourist season. Towns like Silver City rely on tourist dollars to support hotels, restaurants, and art galleries. But some locals also worry about the proliferation of out-of-state license plates and visitors coming to the Gila National Forest. 

Correspondent: 
Laura Paskus 

Guest: 
Geoffrey Plant, Silver City Daily Press