Monday, September 14, 2020
University of Arizona President Dr. Robert Robbins and Pima County Public Health Director Dr. Theresa Cullen today announced they are recommending a 14-day quarantine for students living on and off campus within a geographical boundary they have identified as showing high transmission of the novel coronavirus.
Robbins said this is a “last ditch” effort to get students to follow public health directives before they have to take more drastic measures. Robbins gave off a frustrated tone at the press conference, saying the university is dealing with a “blatant disregard for public health measures.”
“I’m short of saying I’m mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore,” Robbins said. “This is part of being a good member of society, to take into account the health of others, not just your individual health and your individual desire to go out and party.”
High-density apartments near campus are included in the recommendation, with specific boundaries of the quarantine are expected to be released later today. Robbins said there is COVID-19 transmission happening around campus because of the “selfish behavior of a few individuals.”
Cullen said they aren’t seeing transmission as a result of classes, labs or on-campus activity, but more so off-campus social activities and parties.
The quarantine allows exceptions for students enrolled in essential in-person classes such as science labs and performance and fine arts classes. Students in the quarantine boundary are also allowed to go on essential shopping trips, appointments and work if necessary.
“There are a clear subset of individuals, primarily students, who are not following the rules,” Robbins said during a press conference. “Today, we’re going to ratchet up the warnings, the encouragement to please follow the rules.”
Cullen said that by establishing a recommended two week quarantine, they will have the potential to ensure that the increased virus transmission will go back down.
Robbins said enforcement of the recommended quarantine will be difficult, but the university has established a support system to assist students during this time and he hopes they will follow this recommendation before the condition of COVID-19 spread at UA worsens.
He said the university administration anticipated this problem once students came to campus at the beginning of the semester. He hoped the university wouldn't have to institute “more draconian measures, but we're to that point.”
Robbins said the university will have to move toward an all-digital learning model if they cannot get the situation under control.
“This is it, this is your last chance,” he said.
Cullen said the county is actively looking at other potential options besides an optional quarantine that they could legally pursue if the spread of COVID-19 around the university continues.
Tags: University of Arizona , Quarantine , Robert Robbins , Theresa Cullen , COVID-19 , Students , Image
With 213 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases closed in on 208,000 as of Monday, Sept. 14, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 22,511 of the state’s 207,725 confirmed cases.
A total of 5,322 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 602 deaths in Pima County, according to the Sept. 14 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases continues to decline from July peaks. ADHS reported that as of Sept. 13, 489 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, the lowest that number has been since April 8, when 338 COVID patients were hospitalized.. That number peaked at 3,517 on July 13.
A total of 861 people visited emergency rooms on Sept. 13 with COVID symptoms. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7.
A total of 168 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Sept. 13, the lowest that number has been since April 8, when 155 COVID patients were in ICU. The number of COVID patients in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
On a week-by-week basis in Pima County, the number of positive COVID tests peaked the week ending July 4 with 2,396 cases, according to a Sept. 11 report from the Pima County Health Department. While a vocal minority continues to insist that masks do no good, the spread of the virus began to decline within weeks of Pima County’s mask mandate, as more people began wearing them in public, although the level of new cases has essentially plateaued in recent weeks rather than continuing to drop. For the week ending Aug. 22, the number of new cases dropped to 528; for the week ending Aug. 29, 514 new cases were reported; and for the week ending Sept. 5, a total of 527 cases were reported. (Recent weeks are subject to revision.)
Deaths in Pima County are down from a peak of 55 in the week ending July 4 to 19 for the week ending Aug. 15, 13 for the week ending Aug. 22 and nine in the week ending Aug. 29. (As above, these numbers are subject to revision as recent deaths may not have been reported.)
Hospitalization peaked the week ending July 18 with 239 COVID patients admitted to Pima County hospitals. For the week ending Aug. 29, 36 COVID patients were admitted to Pima County hospitals and in the week ending Sept. 5, 21 patients were admitted to Pima County hospitals. (Numbers are subject to revision.)
Cases spiking among UA students
Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik warned yesterday that the off-campus private residential towers near Speedway and Park Avenue are a breeding ground for COVID.
The Ward 6 Democrat said that testing had shown that in HUB Tucson, 45 of 490 residents had tested positive for COVID, some of whom had tested negative through the UA’s rapid-result antigen test.
“With 490 residents living in a confined congregate setting, the likelihood is the virus is already spreading throughout the building at an alarming pace,” Kozachik warned.
Kozachik said his request that management test all residents was rejected.
Friday, September 11, 2020
Christopher Nolan’s Tenet is the sort of movie you just need to take in the first time without trying to figure out what’s going on. If your brain picks up on shit, and you figure stuff out on first viewing, fine. If not, relax, because it all does make sense in that Christopher Nolan puzzler sort of way. You’ll figure it out later.
After many postponements, Hollywood has rolled the dice and put Tenet exclusively in theaters during a time when films like Mulan (exclusively on Disney+) and Bill and Ted Face the Music (combo of streaming and limited theatrical engagement) dabble with new release formulas.
Yeah, I risked life and limb to go to a local theater and watch this on an IMAX screen. Quality of the film aside, I must confess, this was probably the most fun I’ve had since closing the vault door to my apartment 6 months ago and staying in there every day. With the exception of a daily walk and some store runs, I’ve been shut in.
So, it was a wow moment for me to plant myself in a theater chair for the first time in half a year and get my ears and face blasted with a Nolan film. And it’s a good one at that.
John David Washington plays a character called “The Protagonist,” an agent of some sort on a mission to find pieces of a complex puzzle to save the world. That’s it. That’s all I’m telling you about the plot. Robert Pattinson (recently sidelined on The Batman shoot due to testing positive for COVID) is a terrific sidekick as another mysterious agent, Elizabeth Debicki mesmerizes as Kat, the troubled wife of Andrei, a nasty, nasty guy played by Kenneth Branagh.
Visually stunning and, yes, at times totally confusing, the movie pays off in the end with revelations that tie things up enough for you to leave the theater satisfied, and perhaps spend the next five days putting remaining mystery bits together. I can tell you I’ve already had a couple of fun conversations about Tenet with my brother where we argue over what certain things meant. I love movies that spark that kind of conversation.
WASHINGTON – Lawmakers and tribal leaders berated the Bureau of Indian Education on Thursday for a school reopening plan that prioritizes in-person learning, despite tribes’ opposition to the plan in the face of COVID-19 health concerns.
When the BIE released its “Return to Learn!” plan in late August, it was “in effect doubling down on the very position that drew strong criticism from Indian Country in early August,” said Joe Garcia, co-chair of an education subcommittee for the National Congress of American Indians.
Dear Colleagues,
I write to inform you that I will step back from my duties on a temporary basis starting immediately. I do so in order to recover from a recent injury and to ensure that I can properly support my husband, who is undergoing aggressive treatment for terminal cancer.
This has been a challenging time for both of us. Thank you for the support that you have offered to our family.
In the meantime, my office will continue to be available to each of you and Ward 3 constituents.
For those of you looking to keep things indoors for the time being, The Loft's streaming series continues. Here are this week's offerings:
The Hole
Set just prior to the start of the 21st century, this vaguely futuristic story follows two residents of a quickly crumbling building who refuse to leave their homes in spite of a virus that has forced the evacuation of the area.
Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President
Part-rockumentary, part-presidential portrait, Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President traces how rock music helped propel Jimmy Carter to the White House.
Feels Good Man
When indie comic character Pepe the Frog becomes an unwitting icon of hate, his creator fights to bring Pepe back from the darkness.
Buoyancy
This gripping drama tells the story of a Cambodian teenager sold into forced labor on a Thai fishing boat, offering a passionate testimony against social injustice and a moving coming-of-age tale about a boy whose humanity is put to the test.
The Amphi Foundation, in partnership with Cox and Comcast, will pay for at least six months of free internet for those who qualify. Participating households will receive internet service speeds of up to 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload.
For more information on the program or assistance getting connected, contact Beth Lake with Amphitheater Public Schools at (520) 696-5211 or [email protected]. To support the initiative, head to amphifoundation.org for information on how to help.
“We are grateful for the donors and nonprofit partners that have stepped up to make this initial commitment, but this is also a Call to Action for our community to consider making an investment in an Amphi student’s education this school year so that we can ensure that every Amphi student is connected,” said Leah Noreng, Executive Director of the Amphi Foundation.
