The Pima County Public Library announced Tuesday afternoon that all its locations and book drops will close at the end of the day.

Due dates have been extended until further notice. Digital materials will be available.
The announcement was made in a memo released by Pima County Administrator Chuck  Huckelberry, who said the closure was made “based on recent recommendations from the Arizona Library Association” and new guidance from the Centers for Disease control regarding public gatherings of more than 10 people.

According to Huckelberry, library staff will review the possibility of limited re-openings to include either limited hours at all 26 locations or limiting hours to “a single shift each day.”

As if the Book Fest and Rialto closing their doors weren't enough of a sign that these next few weeks will be rough, on Monday, March 16, Bookmans Entertainment Exchange announced it would be closing all of their stores for the next two weeks. As the pandemic spreads, Bookmans will reassess the situation and consider reopening their stores on Saturday, March 28.


For more information, visit bookmans.com

In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and in response to concerns for the health and safety of the community, court staff and the judiciary, Pima County Presiding Judge Kyle A. Bryson provided a series of directives for court operations—including the suspension of jury duty through the end of the month.

Arizona courts remain open, and Bryson instituted a series of precautions to reduce the number of visitors to courthouses in Pima County.

In addition to the suspension of jury duty, attorneys can work remotely, sick individuals are asked to not attend any hearings in person or reschedule, juvenile court and services will move to telephone only and family drug court is suspended through March 31.

Court Appointed Special Advocates have also been asked to call their supervisors, and anyone scheduled to meet with a pretrial service officer should call (520) 724-3310. Adults on probation should call the Adult Probation Office.

If the outbreak warrants court closure, updated information will be provided by the Superior/Juvenile courts.

Pima Community College shut down all of its campuses, centers and its district office beginning Tuesday morning after a potential exposure to COVID-19.

Announced late Monday evening, the closure comes after “a member of the college community may have been exposed to someone recently tested for COVID-19.”

Pima is working with the Pima County Health Department to assess to situation, and plans to announce an update by end of day Tuesday, March 17.

“We will consider the health and safety of our students, employees and the community with every decision,” said Pima Chancellor Lee Lambert in a memo to college employees.

Pima previously announced a suspension of face-to-face services on all its campuses, and made the decision to move to virtual instruction March 25, after spring break ends. Additionally, college employees who can work from home have been asked to do so.

The college also announced a delay for summer registration, cancellation of all non-essential events through April 30, and a limit on employee travel.

While in the middle of announcing the decision to keep KIDCO open, Mayor Regina Romero was interrupted by Councilman Paul Cunningham, who announced that the city's youth program that provides after-school and summer recreation programs has been shut down due to a lack of sanitation products.

"We just got information right now that KIDCO sites are going to close," Cunningham said. "They've run out of hand sanitizer. We can't in good conscience keep them open if we can't keep (the KIDCO sites) properly sanitized."

Cunningham noted the council "was going back to go back to the drawing board" to find another solution to the Tucson's mounting daycare problem. On Sunday, Gov. Doug Ducey ordered all schools shut down at least through Friday, March 27. In the meantime, the councilman suggested trying to find a neighbor willing to help out. Like many parents with young children, Cunningham himself is facing a challenge in finding daycare for his children.

"The daycare center for my 3-year-old was open on Sunday and then we got an email (Monday) saying it's closed," Cunningham said. "A lot of families are going through that and we're going to find a way to come together. I encourage people to go to their neighbors and try to do some kid-sharing."

Andy Squire, public information officer for the City of Tucson, confirmed the city was, in fact, out of sanitization and cleaning products at KIDCO spring break camps through the city. He said City Manager Michael Ortega held an emergency meeting to weigh the city's options. A decision has not been made whether the closure of the after-school program will continue as long as schools themselves are closed.

"We are stoping the Schoolzout program for now until such time as we can obtain such cleaning supplies to reopen and/or shut the centers down," Squire said. "This is a real tough situation to be in because this is a council that is committed to ensuring that our families have a place to take their kids."





 

Any student under the age of 18 can receive a free breakfast and lunch from several different Amphi Public School locations after spring break ends.

Amphi announced its plan to provide nutrition during the extended school shutdown Monday afternoon. Pick up stations will be positioned directly in front of the school office at 12 different schools. Pickup runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Meals will be offered Monday through Friday, and menus will vary.

The following schools will offer meal pickup from March 23 through March 27:

Amphi High School (125 W. Yavapai Road)
Amphi Middle School/Prince Elementary School (315 E. Prince Road)
Canyon del Oro High School (25 W. Calle Concordia)
Coronado K-8 (3401 E. Wilds Road)
Donaldson Elementary School (2040 W. Omar Drive)
Frances Owen Halaway Elementary School (3500 N. Cherry Ave.)
Helen Keeling Elementary School (2837 N. Los Altos)
La Cima Middle School (5600 N. La Canada Drive)
Mesa Verde Elementary School (1661 W. Sage St.)
EC Nash Elementary (515 W. Kelso St.)
Rio Vista Elementary School (1351 E. Limberlost Drive)
Lulu Walker School (1750 W. Roller Coaster Road)

The phone bank will feature representatives from the Pima Council on Aging, the Community Food Bank, Sun Tran, Tucson Medical Center, Tucson Unified School District and the University of Arizona to provide information to the public.

Many stores are altering their hours or having delays in delivery times in response to COVID-19 in order to keep up with cleanliness standards and inventory needs.

Below are some of the affected stores. Click on the links for more information associated with each below as they're subject to change:

Walmart - Hours are reduced 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Sam's Club - Hours are changed to 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Sunday hours remain unchanged.

Albertsons and Safeway - Fulfillment of delivery orders may be affected due to stock. Check your local store for hours, but most should remain unchanged.

Whole Foods - Increased sanitation methods and other changes are noted. Check your local store for hours, but most should remain unchanged.

Trader Joe's - Hours are reduced to 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Kroger Owned Properties - Several adjustments to hours for different stores including Fry's (6 a.m. to 10 p.m.).

Heirloom Farmers Markets - Precautions are being taken to keep vendors and the public safe. Check your local location.

Picture Rocks Farmers and Flea - Postponed at least until April 4th, when events will be reexamined.

Sprouts and Costco have not announced any changes, but that may differ from store to store. Johnny Gibson's in Downtown Tucson also appears to be staying open for the time being.

Unfortunately we won't be able to sample some tasty rock jams this year as KFMA Day has been canceled.

KFMA announced earlier today that the yearly event has been canceled amid rampant COVID-19 closures:
Tickets will be refunded, but no information has been released as of yet on when.

As more and more confirmed cases of COVID-19 are announced in Pima County, and the Governor and Superintendent of Public Instruction call for the closure of all public schools, high school sports have been put on hold.

Marana Unified led the way, cancelling all athletic competitions through April 6, in addition to a variety of other activities.

“The health and safety of our students, staff and school community is of paramount concern to the Marana Unified School District,” said MUSD Superintendent Dr. Doug Wilson. “We continue our proactive efforts to provide a healthy and positive educational environment in our schools. District leadership is closely monitoring this ever-changing situation. We are consistently analyzing developments and monitoring student and staff absenteeism, and we are committed to taking actions aligned with guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pima County Health Department, the Arizona Department of Health Services, and the Arizona Department of Education.”

The district’s announcement, made before Gov. Doug Ducey and Superintendent Kathy Hoffman’s joint address on Sunday, also including cancellation or evening school events, school-wide assemblies, fundraising, parents’ groups and district-sponsored events.

Marana Unified will reassess its closures in April.

Not long after school closures were announced, Marana High School Athletic Director Sarah Whaley communicated to coaching staff that no athletic practices of any kind will take place.

“As frustrating as it may be for our student athletes, we must follow the guidelines set in front of us and wait for further instruction on when we can continue team lifting, practices, competitions and camps,” Marana High School Football Coach Louie Ramirez wrote in an open letter to his athletes and their parents.

In a Monday release, the Arizona Interscholastic Association Executive Board announced that it has not decided to postpone or cancel the spring championship season.

“The governor’s office and the state health department have recommended a two-week suspension of school and activities,” wrote AIA Sports Information Coordinator Seth Polansky. “If this timeframe holds true, it should hopefully not impact postseason tournaments.”

The association also announced that there will not be any interscholastic competitions until Saturday, March 28. The earliest possible date for the resumption of competition will be Monday, March 30 unless otherwise notified.

“Our first objective is to get students back into the classroom and then have them return to the athletic arenas when appropriate,” Polansky wrote. “As Board members we will work diligently with our constituents to ensure a smooth transition back to school as usual.”