Fifteen New Mexico schools are closed, and all athletic, extracurricular and after-school activities statewide are canceled because of concern over the H1N1 virus.
In addition to public schools in the Lordsburg and Socorro school districts, Carlsbad High School, Deming Intermediate School and Cottonwood Valley Charter School are closed from May 4-10, per the recommendation of the Department of Health and Public Education Departments.
UNM spokeswoman Karen Wentworth said the University is not expecting cancellations. She said it is difficult to speculate about the effects of swine flu in New Mexico.
"We won't be good with a 'what-if,'" she said. "We can say right now everything is normal. We're proceeding with classes as we normally would. Graduation is planned normally, although there will be some hand sanitation and handwashing stations at Tingley (Coliseum)."
There are 14 probable cases of swine flu statewide and one confirmed case in Valencia County.
Cheryl Wilson, superintendent of Socorro Public Schools, said state departments are investigating the cases to decide what preventive measures to take.
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"The decision was made based on the fact that, once there is a confirmed case one place in the state, then all of the probable cases have to be looked at very closely in public school settings to see what the risk of exposure was for other members in the community," she said.
Two Socorro students, one in high school and the other in middle school, are probable carriers of swine flu, Wilson said. They each have siblings in both schools as well as another Socorro school district.
"Since we had three potential schools that might have some sort of exposure, that was why they made the decision," Wilson said.
Public education secretary Veronica Garcia said it is up to the Department of Health and the secretary for higher education to deem universities unsafe for attendance because of the possible pandemic.
"I think that would also be based on whether or not there were confirmed cases or probable cases in a university community," she said.
Garcia said the schools in the southern portion of the state were closed to contain the spread of the flu, and statewide extracurricular activities were postponed until further notice to prevent unfairness.
"The New Mexico Activities and Athletic Association has closed or shut down all practices and competitions for the week in fairness to those districts that cannot participate," she said. "It was not done for health reasons but more for competitive equity and fairness."
Wilson said community members should also avoid assembling with large numbers of people in close proximity.
"(The Department of Health's) sense is that germs are transmitted most frequently in the school setting," she said. "If the community members choose to kind of stay apart for the week, I think there is a very good chance that it will make a big difference."
Garcia said she recommends placing more emphasis on routine hygienic procedures to prevent the spread of swine flu.
