Ducey extends closures for state
Bars, gyms to stay shuttered; schools will still start Aug. 17
Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday extended an order limiting public gatherings and shuttering bars, gyms, theaters and water parks, saying the state “cannot let up” in its fight against COVID-19.
The Republican leader did not, however, push back the state’s Aug. 17 target date to resume inperson instruction at K-12 schools — despite mounting pressure from teachers and families.
Instead, he announced a new directive requiring state health officials to create reopening benchmarks based on public health data.
“In terms of Arizona’s trend today, our major metrics are headed in the right direction,” Ducey said at an afternoon news briefing, flanked by state Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ and state schools Superintendent Kathy Hoffman.
But he stressed the state was nowhere near vanquishing the virus.
“We’re seeing a decline, but we’re not seeing a decline everywhere,” he said. “So I ask you to continue to stay vigilant. … The virus is contagious, and if we don’t do the things we should be doing, it can begin to more rapidly spread.”
As of Thursday, Arizona had nearly 153,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with at least 3,063 known deaths.
The state also had a backlog of about 60,000 diagnostic tests, with some people waiting 12 or more days for results.
Before the news conference, infectious disease experts had argued it was too early to let up on recently implemented preventive measures, such as mask mandates. They had encouraged the governor to extend his closure order, which was set to expire Monday.
During the briefing, Ducey described the clo
“We’re seeing a decline, but we’re not seeing a decline everywhere. So I ask you to continue to stay vigilant. … The virus is contagious, and if we don’t do the things we should be doing, it can begin to more rapidly spread.”
Doug Ducey
Arizona governor
sures — as well as the order’s 50-person cap on public gatherings — as “unhappy but necessary” measures.
Earlier in the summer, crowded parties at bars, clubs and pools helped put the state on a path to one of the worst COVID-19 spikes in the country.
“You’ve seen the businesses and venues here not operating, or not operating in any of the traditional senses with people and fans and congregations,” said Ducey, who will reconsider the closures every two weeks.
“That’s where we’re going to be for for some time,” he said. “We’re going to continue to press on with the strategies that are working in Arizona.”
Hoffman: Order will give schools flexibility
Ducey’s new schools order gives public health officials until Aug. 7 to create data-based benchmarks to help local school leaders decide when to “physically open for regular classes.” It requires students and teachers to wear masks upon their return, with some exceptions.
Both the Governor’s Office and Hoffman said the framework outlined in the order will give school districts “maximum flexibility” to make the choices best suited to their individual communities.
Ducey’s order still requires them to open at least one site for in-person learning on Aug. 17 for students who have nowhere else to go. But Hoffman stressed that districts don’t have to open every school or require every teacher to show up to work in-person by that date.
Hoffman said the executive order was designed for longevity. Officials aimed to avoid a situation where districts are “scrambling to figure out what’s the new policy, what do we need to do now and communicate that to their parents and families,” she said.
‘Frustrating’ testing delays
During the briefing, Ducey and Christ, the state health chief, both acknowledged ongoing testing frustrations.
While the supply for diagnostic tests has improved, with recently added sites in south Phoenix and Maryvale, the state’s largest lab partner has a backlog of roughly 60,000 unprocessed tests.
That has meant long waits for results — in some cases, 12 days or more.
“From a public health standpoint, this is a frustrating point, because we have a limited time in which we can react to the case investigation and stop further transmission,” Christ said.
She said Sonora Quest, which handles the bulk of Arizona’s tests, is working to install additional production lines to speed up its ability to process samples at higher volumes by the end of the month.
“They have told us they expect to have the entire backlog of 61,000 tests cleared by July 31, and that should not be an issue going forward,” she said.