Arizona’s governor demanded that Phoenix drop plans to close parts of parks on Easter weekend.
Arizona governor tells mayor to open up on Easter weekend
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey escalated a long-simmering fight with Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego on Friday by demanding the city drop its plans to close parking lots and grills at city parks to limit the spread of COVID-19 on Easter weekend.
The Republican governor said making it harder for people to use public parks would drive family gatherings indoors, where the risk of coronavirus transmission is higher. He announced that all state parks would be open and free on Easter.
“For some unknown reason, our state’s largest city doesn’t want you in your own public parks … These parks belong to the taxpayers, not to politicians,” Ducey said in a video on Twitter.
Gallego, a Democrat, has been one of Ducey’s most pointed critics during the pandemic, saying he’s done far too little to slow the spread of the virus while tying the hands of mayors who tried to do more.
On Friday, Ducey turned the tables, saying he’ll blame Gallego if there’s a rise in COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks.
Ducey has defended his actions as a measured approach that balances public health and the economy. He said his recent actions ending mask mandates and business restrictions are justified because cases and hospitalizations were declining and vaccinations are increasing.
Gallego fired back at Ducey, saying the governor was claiming authority he doesn’t have and selectively reading health recommendations. The Phoenix City Council approved the plan to limit park access in a unanimous, bipartisan vote more than two weeks ago, she added.
City officials say parks will remain open, but the parking lots will be closed except to people with accessible permits and grilling will be prohibited on Saturday and Sunday. Those are typically the two busiest days at city parks, officials say, and the limits are meant to reduce the number of large group gatherings.
The move is illegal under an executive order issued by Ducey that blocks cities and counties from imposing public health restrictions more stringent than those imposed at the state level, Ducey said.
Meanwhile, state health officials are preparing to move the state’s largest COVID-19 vaccination site indoors as temperatures rise and plan to cut the operation from 24 hours a day to 12, Ducey announced Friday.
In another development, Pima County announced Friday it will expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to anybody 16 and older starting Monday. The change from 55 or older matches age-based eligibility at the county’s sites to that of state-run sites, including one on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson.