Tucson Mayor Regina Romero will hold a special meeting Tuesday, Dec. 1, with the city’s council to ask them to approve a mandatory curfew as the spread of coronavirus reaches alarming levels county and statewide, she announced in a press conference today.
Romero says she’ll be asking the council to consider implementing a mandatory curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. that would run from Dec. 1 to Dec. 22.
On Nov. 23, the Pima County Health Department announced a voluntary overnight curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. every day until Dec. 31—but it’s not enforceable.
At 5 p.m. Tuesday, Romero will ask the city’s council members to vote on the mandatory curfew, which if approved, would go into effect three hours later.
- Emergency response personnel
- Traveling to and from work
- Attending religious services
- Caring for a family member
- Seeking medical care
- Fleeing dangerous circumstances
- Traveling to perform or receive essential functions
- Homeless
“We are hoping that this particular measure will help our community, will help slow the surge of cases and preserve precious hospital capacity,” Romero said at the press conference. “We are also hoping that this curfew, that this step, will help prevent a stay-at-home order or a lockdown.”
How would the curfew be enforced?
City Attorney Mike Rankin said the proclamation will be presented to the council Tuesday to describe how the curfew would be enforced.
Before being subject to a citation, those violating the curfew would be notified of the new provision and given the opportunity to comply. If citations are issued, Rankin said his city attorney’s office has the ability to resolve the citations by offering diversion or “some other noncriminal proceedings.”
Rankin said violation of an emergency proclamation issued by a mayor is a misdemeanor offense, but that “the direction as part of the mayor’s proclamation…would be that prosecution would include the opportunity for diversion to avoid the criminal sanction.”
If the offender denies the diversion offer, they could face criminal prosecution. Fines for misdemeanor crimes range from as high as $2,500, according to Rankin.
Is it legal to issue a mandatory local curfew?
The city attorney said the legal basis Romero has to issue a curfew is based on the mayor’s right to take action during a local emergency.
“I don’t see this as a challenge to the governor’s authority, or the authority that is given to him as the executive of the state. In fact, the proclamation certainly leaves room for the governor to execute all of his emergency powers,” Rankin said. “Arizona law and the charter also gives certain authority at the local level. So this isn’t a challenge to state authority, but it is using the local authority that is provided under Arizona law to adopt these kinds of measures that are necessary for public health and safety.”
Curfew comes as COVID-19 cases hit record levels; lack of guidance from state
The Tucson mayor is asking council members to ratify her proposed curfew as Pima County reached a record weekly coronavirus case count of 3,600 cases last week and the University of Arizona’s COVID-19 modeling team predicts hospitalizations could exceed capacity this week.
Dr. Joe Gerald, the team leader for UA’s COVID-19 modeling team, said at the press conference that the spread of coronavirus “has now reached the point to where we are truly in a crisis here in Arizona. Cases are higher in Pima County than they’ve ever been, and they will likely exceed twice the prior peak within the coming week.”
Although Romero still hopes Gov. Doug Ducey will issue a statewide mask mandate and curfew to control the spread of the virus, she hasn’t been able to directly speak to the governor despite many efforts to reach out since March. As a result, Tucson’s mayor felt she must take matters into her own hands.
“The reality is that we have waited and waited for the governor and despite a huge surge, we have not seen any meaningful action from Gov. Ducey,” Romero said. “It makes absolutely no sense that we are in a worse place than where we were in the summer, but the governor refuses to act.”
Economic relief for businesses
Romero acknowledged the curfew would hinder many Tucson businesses that operate after 8 p.m. and said she’ll also ask the council to pass additional economic relief for workers, families and small businesses.
The mayor said Tucson has $17 million in federal CARES Act funds in its reserve, and she plans on asking the council to use these funds as economic relief.
“If the council so chooses, then we will give additional direction to put additional funds in the hands of small businesses, workers and families as quickly as we possibly can to help during this additional step that we’re asking the community to comply with and help with,” Romero said.
The speakers at the press conference said businesses won’t be mandated to shut down at a certain time, although people won’t be able to be legally present in them during the curfew.
“[The proclamation] is not proposing to require the businesses to shut down at a particular time, instead, it’s a curfew order, and that applies to the people who are out and about,” Rankin said. “It does, however, encourage folks to stay at home, because it’s safer at home. And so it doesn’t directly require any business to shut down or closed at a particular time. But yes, there is a hope that folks will stay home during those time periods.”
Ultimately, as she reaches out to neighboring cities and towns, Romero hopes statewide action will be taken to slow the spread of coronavirus.
“I will continue to reach out to other mayor colleagues throughout the state, and then leave it up to them,” she said. “Hopefully, we can get mayors from cities and towns throughout Arizona, the medical community and public health experts could hopefully get statewide action by the governor. That is the best scenario that I would hope.”
This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 2, 2020.
This isn’t right!!! She should not have the power to lock people in their homes!! Are we are free country or a communist country?? People THIS isn’t ok. This is martial law.
It appears her plan is to destroy all the restaurants and bars first. When we don’t speak up they will come after us next.
How did they march their victims into the ovens?
One step at a time.
If this emergency was not an air born invisible virus but an horrific earthquake or tornado that harmed or killed hundreds of people in just the same way covid-19 can I do not think there would be any argument about curfews. This hardly compares to the forced slaughter of millions of people in the death camp’s of WWII and frankly such a comparison is insulting to those victims! You baby people should grow up and try to help this community instead of weeping cry baby tears at you own petty concepts of a simple inconvenience.
Now that dumps is finished people will begin to for get why they hate rethuglicans. Democrat mayors and governors now step in to remind people why they hate democrats! Lockdowns and curfews are for your own good you are told. We know better then YOU! If you don’t like it you can vote all of us democrats out in 2022 and they probably will. This crap hurts small local businesses while big business like walmart and amazon pay off the politicians to destroy their small business competitors. A third of small business closed will never reopen and more and more every day. A wind surfer in california was arrested for wind surfing as beaches were closed for covid. Supporters of this please explain how he is spreading covid while wind surfing on the ocean.
Why is 8pm better wiser than 10pm ?
Don’t want people to shop over a longer time frame shorten the time frame.
So then cluster together during the busiest season of the year. A time when so many make it or break it.
Don’t want to work with other surrounding cities and county, think Tucson is navigating the ship.
What could possibly go wrong that haven’t already. This is pure self promotion nothing more at the cost of so many.
Recall this Mayor and in the forced election require photo ID to vote paper ballots that are hand counted.
So ignorant to blame the mayor for attempting to get ahead of this virus. Trump did nothing but villify the experts. Ducey did nothing in fear of the Trumpers. At least Romero is doing something.
Look at countries that have better handled this.
If everyone would wear a mask and stay home as much as possible this would be easier to control.
Do it… for your fellow man.
As if NY was Trumps fault. The stupid are handing out awards to Cuomo for killing the elderly. The biggest victim is the American workers as their economy is destroyed. I would respect this Mayor if she filed suit against China for our losses.
Seatbelts! I don’t need no seatbelt to hold me in my car. Besides, it’s uncomfortable and it could trap me inside if there was a wreck.
Secondhand smoke — are you kidding me! There’s more pollution in the air to worry about than my cigarette smoke. Besides, if my cigarette smoke bothers someone, they can go outside or somewhere else.
Masks — no way! You’re just trying to take away my freedoms and I read online that they don’t even work. Besides, if masks work, how come the president and governor don’t wear one?
Yeah — it’s kind of like that.
This isn’t a red or a blue issue, it’s a dead or alive issue. So, suck-it-up buttercup and stop acting like all those snowflakes you deride. Besides, “You can’t make me wear a mask” makes a horrible epitaph, just like “I had the right of way”.
News Update:
Tucson City Council Votes to Implement Mandatory 10pm Curfew
https://www.kgun9.com/news/coronavirus/tuc…
Romero could mandate not just masks but effective masks: N95 masks.
Evidently, the masks that people wear are just not effective. A recent random assignment study showed that people wearing masks get infected at the same rate as people not wearing masks.
By comparison, a random assignment study published in the journal of hospital infection showed the group wearing N95 masks suffered zero infections despite working intensively with Covid patients.
We also have the experience of the staff pouring into Wuhan, all wearing N95 masks: none were infected.
Quit chanting about getting Bagdad AZ to have to wear masks. It’s getting annoying. And, its not going to happen.
Also, put all your students back in school where its safer.
Does anyone get the correlation between the massive marijuana farm on the Navajo reservation producing millions of dollars worth of pot since 2014. Pot to be distributed through American cities NY by undocumented Chinese nationals, financed by Chinese nationals working the greenhouse farms through the reservation. Green houses where a airborne particulates incubate at astronomical rates. Where monies for political funding was off the charts. Is it a wonder the reservation has such a problem they were aware, can they really run the reservation? (sold to china)
This would have no effect on spreading the Corona virus. Seems to me that this was raided and shut down we will see the spread diminish. Vaccine showing results politician’s will try to make national recognition claim that it was there success.
No big accomplishment there! Curfew has been 10 pm to 5am. COVID doesn’t have times you can catch it! So why are you locking down? We need to get back to living and working for all our sanities. Everyone just has to be diligent in doing everything they can not to get. Wear masks and use lots of hand sanitizer.