SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 1

56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2023

INTRODUCED BY

Harold Pope and Leo Jaramillo and Charlotte Little and

Pamelya Herndon

 

 

 

 

A JOINT MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING THE DEVASTATING IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019; HONORING THE SACRIFICES THAT ESSENTIAL WORKERS HAVE MADE TO PROTECT AND SAVE LIVES IN THEIR COMMUNITIES; DECLARING SUPPORT FOR A PERMANENT CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 MEMORIAL TO BE LOCATED IN BERNALILLO COUNTY ON STATE TRUST LANDS TO HONOR THE VICTIMS OF CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019.

 

     WHEREAS, coronavirus disease 2019 is an illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that can transmit from person to person and has spread across the world, creating a global pandemic that is having catastrophic effects on human life, local communities and the economy; and

     WHEREAS, local and state governments, health departments, Native leadership and public servants have taken bold actions to protect residents, support struggling local economies and find innovative ways to provide services; and

     WHEREAS, in response to the rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 and stay-at-home orders, essential workers have stepped up to provide critical services to help protect our communities and save lives, sacrificing their own health and safety; and

     WHEREAS, coronavirus disease 2019 has had a disproportionate impact on low-income communities and communities that face systemic racism, exacerbating inequities already prevalent in systems that the United States must address as a nation; and

     WHEREAS, coronavirus disease 2019 has had a devastating impact on Native American communities, with Native Americans losing almost six years of life expectancy, and has caused the incalculable loss of elders who carried with them the communities' cultures, languages and traditions; and

     WHEREAS, public health guidance and policies targeted at prevention, such as social distancing, wearing masks in public and staying home, help mitigate the spread of coronavirus disease 2019, prevent illness and lessen the burden on individuals and society; and

     WHEREAS, coronavirus disease 2019 has harmed the health and well-being of children by reducing access to care and health services, disrupting schooling, undermining their sense of safety and security, increasing stress on caregivers and tragically robbing nearly eight million children across the world of a parent or caregiver; and

     WHEREAS, the symptoms and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 can vary dramatically by individual, and the long-term health implications for survivors are largely unknown, with many survivors suffering from lingering side effects of the disease long after they no longer test positive; and

     WHEREAS, more than six million seven hundred thousand people worldwide and more than one million people in the United States have lost their lives due to coronavirus disease 2019, and in New Mexico alone, more than eight thousand eight hundred lives have been lost to this deadly virus; and

     WHEREAS, each life lost to coronavirus disease 2019 matters and leaves a hole in the hearts of loved ones, family members and surrounding community;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the legislature support the construction of a permanent coronavirus disease 2019 memorial in Bernalillo county on state trust land; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the permanent coronavirus disease 2019 memorial honor both those who lost their lives to coronavirus disease 2019 and the survivors who are forever marked by coronavirus disease 2019 and who continue to suffer from the impact of the pandemic; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the Corrales village council, the Albuquerque city council, the Bernalillo county board of county commissioners, the Sandoval county board of county commissioners, the all pueblo council of governors, the Las Cruces city council, the Santa Fe city council and marked by covid New Mexico.

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