Why Tucson’s virus curfew just won’t work
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero has really gone off the rails with her new curfew to deal with alarming COVID-19 spread.
What exactly would the nightly curfew accomplish if everyone is free to mingle during the day?
Romero asked the City Council to approve her 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew that could have ultimately led to a $2,500 fine and a misdemeanor charge against the violators. Instead, the council on
Tuesday approved a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew starting Dec. 4 through Dec. 23.
It will prohibit people from being on public streets or in public spaces unless traveling to work or other essential activities.
Romero is right to be worried about COVID-19. New cases are soaring exponentially and hospitalizations are up.
But the novel coronavirus doesn’t spread after dark, right?
I initially asked whether throngs of Tucson residents are flocking to bars, restaurants and public places from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Romero didn’t explain exactly how any sort of curfew within city limits will help stop the spread of COVID-19.
I also asked why then penalize just residents and not businesses? Restaurants, bars and other establishments that open late are merely being asked to voluntarily comply with the curfew.
It doesn’t make sense to have a mandatory curfew for residents but ask bars and restaurants to comply voluntarily.
Romero and other city leaders have asked Gov. Doug Ducey to impose a statewide mask mandate. He should, especially since epidemiologists insist that masks can help stop the spread of the deadly virus.
Ducey won’t do it, which is terrible for Arizona where COVID-19 is spreading like wildfire.
But Romero and other mayors blasting Ducey aren’t enforcing their own city mask mandates — or at least I haven’t heard of citations issued, though there are plenty of violators out there.
Since Romero and other local leaders can’t shut down bars, restaurants and malls — as some have pointed out since I first published this column — they should at least begin a massive mask crackdown.
Why aren’t they doing that? Romero might sleep better at night by imposing a nightly curfew, but that alone isn’t likely to do much to reverse alarming COVID-19 trends.