Arizona Coronavirus Blog: Ducey Eyes May 1; ‘Hail Mary’ Therapy

ARIZONA — Gov. Doug Doug Ducey fired off a series of executive orders Wednesday aimed at plugging holes in nursing home staffing, giving police and other first responders access to confidential patient information to protect them from the new coronavirus, and expanding telemedicine services.

The executive fiats came a day after Ducey said he’s still looking at a May 1 date to ease the social distancing measures that have shuttered businesses, sidelined workers in their homes and cut into government budgets. But, he cautioned, “it’s too early right now for me to say there’s something magical about May 1.”

The number of cases of the new coronavirus continued to climb Wednesday, with 3,962 cases and 142 deaths, up from 3,806 cases and 131 deaths Tuesday, but public health officials are optimistic that social distancing measures are working.

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Arizona ranks near the middle among U.S. states in deaths related to the coronavirus illness, COVID-19, likely putting it among an undisclosed group of states President Trump said at a White House coronavirus briefing Tuesday could reopen their economies soon.

Ducey, however, made clear at the news conference that he, not Trump, will make “the best decision for Arizona.”

Trump on Tuesday walked back earlier claims that he, not the governors, had the authority to reopen their economies.

“When somebody's president of the United States, the authority is total," Trump said at Monday’s White House coronavirus briefing. "And that's the way it's got to be. It's total. And the governors know that."

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Ducey, whose stay-at-home order expires April 30, said he wants to be “aspirational on this,” but also mindful of Arizonans’ safety.

"If those need to be extended, we'll extend them," he said. "If they can be changed, they'll be changed.”

Ducey said he sent letters Wednesday to leaders of the lodging, restaurant and other business communities to help develop a timeline to reopen the state’s economy.

Ducey also issued three new executive orders to help meet the critical demand for nursing home and long-term care facility staff; expand telemedicine; and collect additional information on coronavirus cases to help protect police and first responders from exposure. On the latter, data can be shared through secure means among agencies, but must remain confidential.

Epidemiologists don’t know how long the coronavirus will persist, but Ducey rejected calls by election officials for ballot-by-mail elections in the August primary and all other state and federal elections.

In a recent op-ed published in the Arizona Republic, the Arizona Recorders Association and the Election Officials of Arizona mail-in balloting is “the best way to ensure Arizona voters are safe during this pandemic and have the certainty of the continuity of our democracy.”

Ducey said Arizonans have always had the ability to vote early by mail.

"We're not going to disenfranchise anyone from voting on Election Day," he said.

Arizona Health Director Dr. Cara Christ said her recommendation on elections would hinge on not only the rate of coronavirus infections, but also on influenza “because that’s the start of our flu season as well.”

County-By-County Breakdown

Most of the cases are in Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous county and home to Phoenix, the 10th largest metropolitan area in the country. The county reported 2,146 caes and 60 deaths.

In Pima County, where Tucson is located, there were 700 cases with 34 deaths as of Wednesday.

Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, Maricopa County’s medical director for disease control, said officials are “already starting to see that slope flatten out,” but warned at a news conference that “the evidence shows that if you pull back [social distancing guidelines] all at once, you might see another peak.”

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Some Tucson city workers lose their jobs, either temporarily through furloughs or layoffs as the city faces a steep, unexpected revenue shortfall due to Gov. Doug Ducey’s stay-at-home order last month, the Arizona Daily Star reported.

City Manager Michael Ortega told city council members Tuesday that furloughing or laying off workers is a last resort but he “can't guarantee you that we won't have that discussion.”

“We're going to do everything we can to keep us from having those discussions,” he said.

Native Americans are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. The three northeastern Arizona counties in the Navajo Nation — Coconino, Navajo and Apache — had a combined 766 cases and 38 deaths as of Wednesday. In Mohave County, where the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation is located, there are 45 cases, but no deaths.

• Navajo: 390 cases, 10 deaths
• Coconino: 266 case, 24 deaths
• Apache: 110 cases, 4 deaths
• Mohave: 45 cases, 0 deaths
• Pinal: 182 cases, 5 deaths
• Yavapai: 66 cases, 0 deaths
• Yuma: 18 cases, 0 deaths
• Cochise: 15 cases, 0 deaths
• Santa Cruz: 12 cases, 0 deaths
• La Paz: 5 cases, 0 deaths
• Gila: 3 cases, 0 deaths
• Graham: 2 cases, 0 deaths
• Greenlee: 2 cases, 0 deaths

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Trails Popular; Social Distancing Isn't

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Phoenix Area Goodwill Stores Reopen

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Arizona Schools Get Most Coronavirus Aid

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