The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 12,674 of Thursday, May 14, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
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Pima County had 1,696 confirmed cases.
The coronavirus had killed 624 people statewide, including 152 in Pima County, according to the report.
In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 6,341.
Because symptoms can take as long as two weeks to appear after exposure to the virus (while some people can remain entirely asymptomatic), health officials continue to urge the public to avoid unnecessary trips and gatherings of more than 10 people and have advised people to cover their faces with masks in public.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced this week that he would not extend Arizona’s stay-at-home order past Friday, May 15. He also said that gyms, pools and movie theaters could open this week.
Ducey also invited major-league sports to play in Arizona, although he said it would have to be without fans in the audience.
Ducey had already given the green light for restaurants and bars that offer food service to reopen this week. Restrictions were lifted on stores, barber shops and salons last week.
Ducey said he hoped that schools would be able to reopen in the fall but was yet not ready to make that call.
Dr. Bob England, the director of the Pima County Health Department, said the reopening of bars this week “wasn’t people’s general understanding” given that Ducey had said in an April press conference that bars would remain shuttered longer than restaurants because people tend to mingle in bars. England said expected to see “a lot of variation out there.”
“It’s going to be a little bit like the Wild West,” England warned. “Just know that if you’re vulnerable, if you’re older, if you have underlying health conditions that put you at higher risk, then please, please, please hunker down for a while longer.”
England said last week that the results of reopening so many establishments wouldn’t be known for weeks as test results tend to lag behind the actual spread of the virus.
“It will take a few weeks to know the impact of this so we won’t know until early June what all of this is doing to the epidemic curve,” England said in a daily briefing.
Other members of the medical community said Ducey’s move may have come soon and will result in greater spread of the virus. State Rep. Randy Friese, an emergency room doctor, warned last week that by relaxing so many standards so quickly, Ducey was risking losing all the progress that state has made in stemming the disease.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the Trump administration, told the U.S. Senate in testimony this week that states and cities should follow the guidelines set out by the CDC when allowing businesses to reopen.
“It’s my concern that if some areas—cities, states, what have you—jump over those various checkpoints and prematurely open up without having the capability to respond effectively and efficiently, my concern is that we will start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks,” Fauci said. “The consequences could be really serious.”
In other COVID-related news:
• The Pima County Board of Supervisors yesterday 3-2 voted to enact emergency health regulations related to the “best practices” strategies developed by the county’s Back To Business Task Force. Republican Supervisors Steve Christy and Ally Miller voted against the regulations, which include taking the temperature of all workers and anyone making deliveries to restaurants. Christy said the regulations were too burdensome for a sector that has already been hammered by the outbreak’s fallout.
• Pima County Public Libraries will reopen on Monday, May 18, with limited services, including book pickup, computer use on a first-come, first-served basis, and printing, copying and fax services. The new open hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will still be precautions for coronavirus, including taking guests’ temperatures before they enter the building, wearing face masks and maintaining six feet of physical distance. The library will also allow only a limited number of people in at a time, and guests will most likely have to wait in line to get in.
• Today, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base’s 355th Wing, alongside the Arizona Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing, are taking off from Tucson International Airport at 2 p.m. in a flyover across the metro area in a salute to healthcare workers. A formation of two A-10 Thunderbolts IIs and two F-16 Fighting Falcons will begin the flyover at 2 p.m. The 40-minute flight will pass by healthcare facilities in Tucson, Sahuarita, Green Valley, Oro Valley, and Marana.
• The Arizona Supreme Court has denied an effort by initiative campaigns to collect online signatures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is disappointing in Arizona to see the courts and the attorney general and legislature repeatedly prevent the options of choice to voters where their options are to forgo their constitutional rights or to risk their health and safety,” said Roopali Desai, the lawyer representing the initiative campaigns. “It’s really unfortunate the court did not grant the relief under such extreme circumstances. It’s not only disappointing but it’s incredibly dishearting.”
Initiative campaigns such as Smart and Safe Arizona, Save our Schools Arizona, Invest In Education and Arizonans for Second Chances filed a Petition for Special Attention with the Arizona Supreme Court on April 2. The groups wanted to utilize the state’s E-Qual electronic signature system in an attempt to help initiatives continue collecting signatures during the pandemic. But lawyers for the state argued that the Arizona Constitution requires that petition passers personally witness every voter’s signature.
• COVID-19 symptoms typically occur two to 14 days after exposure, and include headache, fever, cough, shortness of breath, blue toes or a loss of taste and smell, according to the CDC. However, some cases of the virus are entirely asymptomatic. Practices to avoid infection include social distancing (of at least six feet), washing your hands, avoiding unnecessary trips and not touching your face. If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever, cough or difficulty breathing, speak with a healthcare provider for medical advice.
According to the CDC, people who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to recover at home. Stay at home and avoid public transportation, but stay in touch with your doctor. If you do leave your home, wear a facemask and clean your hands often. If you develop more severe symptoms (persistent pain or pressure in the chest, confusion, bluish lips) get medical attention immediately. Your local health authorities will give instructions on checking your symptoms and reporting information.
Have you caught COVID-19? Are you feeling ill? Is your small business struggling to make it? Have you lost your job as a result of the outbreak? Are you struggling to manage your kids while schools are closed? Tell us your COVID-19 stories. Send an email or photo to jimn@tucsonlocalmedia.com.
This article appears in May 14-20, 2020.
The U.S. has 4.29% of the world population and from what is known approximayly 1.4 million infection and 85000 plus thousand deaths. This is insane to open. One suspects it is Trumps agenda to cause as much havoc as can be done to affect the election. And the Republican party seems complicit as they can only win if voter turnout is low. End this TrumpBodyBag game!
There should be no election in November. The lying democrats stole the last four years with their Russia trash and many should be charged with treason. Which Democrat will prosecute China for these unnecessary deaths. Only Trump. Your party sold us out to China and Russia. What a den of thieves the left is.
That must be some killer gak that you’re mainlining there alex g.
“The U.S. has 4.29% of the world population and from what is known approximayly 1.4 million infection and 85000 plus thousand deaths.”
45,000 of those deaths are in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Michigan.
Of the remaining 45,000 deaths, 70% of them have been traced genetically to New York.
Here are some select quotes from New York based entities:
Jan 6 NYTimes “no evidence spread by humans, not tied to any deaths
Jan 21 Fauci TV “not a major threat, citizens should not be worried
Jan 21 CDC believes the risk of 2019-nCoV to the American public remains low
Jan 22 WHO fails to declare Covid-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. In 39 weeks SARS infects 8,000 In 7 weeks COVID: 11,000
Jan 31 WaPo, ‘our brains make coronavirus seem scarier than it is’
Jan 31 WaPo, “Get a grip, America. Flu a much bigger threat”
Jan31 President Trumps shuts down travel from China ,
Feb 1 WaPo ‘Past epidemics prove fighting coronavirus with travel bans a mistake’
Feb 3 Post ‘Why we should be wary of an aggressive government response to coronavirus’, stigmatization of marginalized populations
Feb 6 New York Health Commissioner urged people to spend time in crowded public places, movies, subway: “in the city, risk is low, preparedness very high, take the subway take the bus go to your favorite restaurant
Feb 17 Fauci “danger to American public minuscule, worry about the flu”
Feb 17 Bill Gates 4 Covid19 sentences in 57 paragraph speech. Commits 1/10 of one percent to fighting it, none in US
Feb 24 Pelosi “Come to Chinatown … come join us
Feb 28 Bill Gates “In the past week, Covid-19 started behaving like the once-in-a-century pathogen
Mar 2 Gov Cuomo “other countries v. what happened here, we don’t think it’s going to be as bad
March 2 CNN “be more concerned about the flu
Mar 8 Fauci “people should not wear masks, wearing a mask makes people feel better and might even block a droplet but it’s not providing perfect protection
Mar 9 Fauci: Cruising is ok if you are healthy
Mar17 EU suspends travel from China, 46 days after Trump, has now suffered 45,000 more deaths than the U.S. in France, Italy, Spain, Germany and the U.K., countries with a smaller population.
Jan 23 WHO: “a regional problem only
Jan 28 WHO: “China cooperative, transparent, serious
Feb 3 WHO: “Why restrict international travel and trade?
Feb 10 WHO: “it may ignite a fire but it is just a spark
Mar 7 WHO “still not a pandemic