A fourth presumptive case of COVID-19 is confirmed in Pima County this morning, according to a release from Pima County Health Department and the Southern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Care System. The latest case is a veteran who was hospitalized and tested on Saturday at the Veterans Affairs Health Care System on South Sixth Avenue.

"A Veteran inpatient presumptively tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 14 at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System," according to the SAVAHCS press release. "The risk of transmission to other patients and staff is low, as the Veteran is being cared for in respiratory isolation by staff who are specially trained on the Centers for Disease Control treatment guidelines, including the use of personal protective equipment and infection control techniques."

This is the second case in Pima County discovered by independent lab testing.

The number of presumptive cases in the state that have been discovered through private lab testing jumped from one to six cases in the past 24 hours. Maricopa County saw their numbers double from four cases to eight cases overnight, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services website.  The total confirmed and/or presumptive cases in the state rose from 12 cases to 18 cases by Monday morning.

We'll continue monitoring the situation and update when more information becomes available. 

Kids get restless. Usually keeping them entertained over a seasonal break or over the summer isn't too much of a problem, because you can take them out to various venues and entertainment spots. Unfortunately, with the rise of closures due to COVID-19, not only will this year's Spring Break feel longer, there's actually more of it.

While we are all trying to practice social distancing, going outside into nature is still a wonderful use of time. However, if you're restricted from doing this and you're stuck at home, you're bound to have some unhappy kiddos in your house for the next couple of weeks. Luckily, some organizations exist that will help alleviate the wails of boredom. Here are some thing online you and your little ones can do for entertainment in the next couple of weeks.

Pima County Public Libraries
The Pima County Library has an online system for kids called Read-Alongs from OverDrive. There are more than 300 books for your kids to check out. These virtual books are also narrated, so you don't have to wear out your voice reading your child's favorites over and over. Plus, the words get highlighted as they read, so your child can read along!

Scratch from MIT
If your child is enthralled by computers or video games, introduce them to Scratch. Scratch is a program to teach children how to write their own computer code using a simple block system. It's designed for ages 8+, but if you have a slightly younger future programmer, there's a special version for kids ages 5 to 7 called ScratchJr.

Go to a Virtual Museum
Google has teamed up with some of the most famous museums in the world, and you can visit them with your kids from the comfort of your home. From MoMA to the Arizona Capitol Museum, there are dozens of museums to choose from. The British Museum of London, for one, has a wonderful interactive site.

Science Kids
There are lots of activities and projects for your kids to learn and play with on the Science Kids site. As with any other science project, they'll most likely need your assistance, so it can be fun for both of you!

National Geographic Kids
This is a great way to let your kids explore the world from their own home. National Geographic Kids takes their usual informative commentary and gives it a fun little twist. This makes it more interesting for kids while still giving them an inside look to the outside world.

Stream Your Favorites
We're all familiar with streaming by now, and that's going to come in handy. Disney+ has released Frozen 2 and Rise of Skywalker early for homebound watchers. There's also CuriosityStream featuring thousands of interesting science and history documentaries.

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy it. The change of pace might have your little ones feeling anxious just like you may be. Stay safe, have fun and enjoy each other's company, and use this time to slow down and enjoy the small things in life.

On Sunday afternoon, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman announced the closure of all public schools in the state beginning Monday, March 16 and lasting through the end of the month.

The superintendent of Tucson’s largest school district, Gabriel Trujillo, fully supports the decision.

Trujillo, who helms Tucson Unified School District, told The Weekly his staff has worked since February to develop a cross-department plan to handle foodservice, online instruction, transportation “and a host of other areas” in the case of a shutdown.

The district will provide details on its plan at a Wednesday, March 18 governing board meeting at which time they will take formal action to close the district and act on a number of recommendations made by Ducey and Hoffman.

“We feel fully prepared,” Trujillo says.

Among the district’s preparations, Trujillo says they will continue to provide food services and move to provide online learning for as many students as possible. However, TUSD cannot provide digital devices for all of its students.

“Unfortunately we’re not going to be able to provide virtual instruction to all 45,000 students,” Trujillo says. “What you'll see in our contingency plan, you will see that we are fully capable of providing a virtual learning environment for a certain segment of our student body as a whole.”

The superintendent said that his No. 1 recommendation to parents right now is to use Spring Break, which begins tomorrow, to plan for childcare needs. The district’s website and social media accounts will also post information regarding childcare assistance options.

In addition to planning for childcare, Trujillo asked that parents, students, and staff make sure to take the five precautionary measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Pima County Department of Health:

Wash your hands frequently, for at least 20 seconds
Maintain social distance
Avoid touching your face
Stay home if you’re feeling sick and seek medical attention
Limit exposure to large crowds

“I think the more that our parents communicate these effective measures to their children, the more effective we can be as a community in combating and defending Pima County against the Coronavirus,” Trujillo says.

In terms of funding, the district’s revenues are guaranteed because the 100-day period has passed, locking in the budget for the year. That means salaried employees will receive their pay through the academic year.

Trujillo said the district is waiting on further details from the state to provide emergency funding for hourly staff.

While local theaters such as The Loft are limiting tickets and canceling events, national theaters are doing the same.

Currently, there is a large banner at the top of the AMC website with a special message. They stress:

LIMITING SEAT CAPACITY IN EVERY AMC AUDITORIUM

To give you more empty space around you within our theatres, we are capping ticket availability to 50% of the normal seating capacity for every showtime in every auditorium at all AMC theatres nationwide. Once we hit 50% of an auditorium’s capacity, movie screenings will show as being Sold Out, even though by definition there will be a large number of unfilled seats. This will begin Saturday, March 14, and for now, will continue until April 30.
For those AMC auditoriums with more than 500 seats, we will further reduce bookings to a maximum of 250 people in any case.
And, it goes without saying that AMC is actively complying with all current and future federal, state and local authorities’ directives on social gathering.

ENHANCED THEATRE CLEANING

AMC theatre teams are following AMC’s stringent health and safety cleaning protocols, which include that every auditorium is thoroughly cleaned between each and every showtime.
In addition, AMC has instituted enhanced cleaning protocols, which ensure that at least once per hour within an AMC building, the theatre team is cleaning high-touch point areas, including: kiosks, counter tops, restroom areas, glass, handrails and doorknobs.

GUIDANCE FOR GUESTS AND THEATRE STAFF

AMC has mandated that any theatre associate who feels ill is excused from work and should not come to the theatre. We urge all potential guests to stay at home and seek medical assistance if they are not feeling well.

Harkins also has a banner to learn more on their own site. They have very similar heightened protocols including:

• Regularly and continually sanitizing touchpoint areas and surfaces (seats, door handles, counters, dispensers, touch screens, railings, etc.)
• Making available alcohol-based hand sanitizer for our guests and team members
• Existing use of motion-sensor restroom equipment that requires no physical touch
• Educating and monitoring our employees regarding the recognition of respiratory symptoms in our guests and our team members, to ensure those with symptoms stay home to get well
• Ensuring preventative measures with our teams such as social distancing, hand washing, respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette
• Reducing the amount of sellable seats in some theaters to allow for more distance between guests
• Continuing to honor our loyalty cup refills, but providing a substitute disposable paper cup as a temporary measure
• Temporarily reducing the price of all popcorn and drink sizes by $1, and discontinuing refills on large sizes
  

Both companies are following guidelines put forth from the WHO and CDC regarding social distancing, a term that we will very quickly become very familiar with.

The Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance on Friday announced that several of its upcoming events have been postponed, while others are still going on as scheduled.

“We understand that you may be contemplating whether to attend arts events, performances and community activities at this time,” stated SAACA Executive Director Kate Marquez. “The health and safety of artists, audiences, staff and volunteers is our top priority, and we are carefully reviewing updates to determine our course of action during this time. As many of you know, SAACA has one of the most robust and diverse calendars of annual events and programs in the state, including weekly concerts, festivals, celebrations, classes and programs all running simultaneously.

The Sahuarita Creative Arts Festival, scheduled for this weekend, has been postponed.

The Oro Valley Festival of the Arts, scheduled for March 28 and 29 at the Oro Valley Marketplace, is scheduled to move forward with structural changes “to continually ensure public safety.” Sabrosita Sahuarita, scheduled for April 24, is also expected to move forward as scheduled.



The following upcoming events at the Catalyst Collaborative Arts & Maker Space are postponed:

· Homebuying 101 (March 14)

· AARP HealthRhythms (March 14)

· Beyond Bamba: Israeli Cooking (March 18)

· Make Way for Books Story School (March 18 and 25)

· Eat Plants: A nutrition class (March 21)

The following events are scheduled to take place as scheduled at Catalyst:

· Second Saturday Artisan Market (March 14)

· Beginning Native American Flute (March 14)

· Introduction to Basic Soldering with Xerocraft (March 19)

· WRITE ON: Creative Writing (March 19 and 26

· Don Zavis Sales Training (March 20 and 27)

· Introduction to Scratchboard (March 21)

· $5 Lucky Cat Kid’s Crafting Drop-In (March 21)

· Understanding Family Dynamics (March 21)

· CoderDojo meetup (March 25)

· Mr. Boogie Woogie Concert (March 26)

· Amerind: Contemporary Southwestern Native American Textiles (March 27)

· Glass Plate Making with Sonoran Glass School (March 28)

· French Macaron 101 with Snack Monster (March 28)

· Camera Phone Photography (March 28)

In light of spreading fears over COVID-19, the Humane Society of Southern Arizona is reminding area residents that its shelter will continue with normal operations.

“We have many wonderful pets looking for their loving forever homes,” HSSA stated in a release.

While the shelter remains open, the Humane Society did announce that its Puttin’ On The Dog fundraiser has been postponed to Oct. 10. The event was originally scheduled to take place April 18. The Raising Cane’s fundraiser scheduled for Saturday, March 14 has been cancelled by the restaurant.

Education and outreach programs like rattlesnake avoidance training will continue as scheduled.

The Humane Society also stressed that high-grade disinfectants are used throughout the shelter, and high contact areas are “deep cleansed” daily.

“It's important to know that there have not been any cases of dogs or cats becoming sick from COVID-19,” said HSSA CDO Steve Farley, in a statement. “There is also no evidence of people catching the virus from companion animals. However, as a rule of thumb, it's always a good idea to wash your hands after being around animals. We are grateful for your strong support. But if you are sick, with symptoms of a respiratory disease and/or a fever of 100 degrees or higher, please do not visit the shelter at this time.

This is an ongoing list of every Tucson event canceled due to coronavirus (that we know of.) This list will be updated periodically:

Arts and Culture
—————————————————————

- Tucson Festival of Books

- Fourth Ave. Street Fair

- Tucson Folk Fest

Education


- Tucson St. Patrick's Day Parade is postponed



- Tucson Sugar Skulls and Indoor Football League season is postponed until further notice

- Palo Verde Park Fest

- Vista Porch Fest

- Meetings for the Democrats of Greater Tucson through the end of March

After yesterday's announcement by Tucson Mayor Regina Romero recommending that events with more than 50 people be canceled, the Rialto Theatre announced this morning that they are going dark at least through the beginning of April.

"We have made the decision to suspend all shows and events until at least the beginning of April, and we will be evaluating next steps on a daily basis," Rialto Theatre Foundation Executive Director Curtis McCrary said in an email. "This weekend’s shows at Rialto and 191 Toole—Shoreline Mafia tonight, and Buddy Guy tomorrow at Rialto, and Katastro tonight, The Frights tomorrow, and Girl Friday Sunday at 191 Toole—will all be rescheduled if possible."

The Rialto's decision follows announcements by the Fox Theatre and local venues that they will be suspending operations.

Here's the Rialto's email:

If you haven’t heard yet, 2020 events have pretty much all been canceled for the foreseeable future. Whether the response to the spread of COVID-19 is in haste or justified, people are now left wondering, “What is there to do, now?” Well, there’s one option that people have used for decades when they tire of the public, and that’s video games.

Here are just a few video games that you might want to check out if you’re bored at home and have nothing else to do:

‘Harvest Moon’ Series
• This is a great game to settle into if you’ve never really played games before. You play as a farmer that has to rebuild a farm. Its cute graphics will make you forget how hard running a farm or ranch really is while still teaching you life skills like happy cows make golden milk. Plus, none of the yearly festivals are canceled!
  
  
‘The Sims’
• You may not be able to attend parties in real life, but nothing is stopping your Sim! Create your sims to your liking and have them do your bidding. You have ultimate control in this game.
  
  
‘Don’t Starve’
• If you ever wanted to see what it would be like to slowly go mad and starve to death while in an insane world, then this is the game for you. You’ll have to collect everything from sticks and twigs to gold and beard shavings if you want to make it past a night or two. Build machines to tell you the weather, help you fight off visions, or tame pig men.
  
  
‘Fallout’ Series
• If you’re wondering what an extended quarantine might be like, then ‘Fallout’ could be your best bet. Experience the world after a nuclear war. Imagine the possibilities!
  
  
‘Left 4 Dead’
• After humanity falls to a zombie virus that’s in all of us, some carriers are left behind as the only humans left. Fight off the horde to get to a safe place while learning some combat tactics along the way. Don’t alert the witch!
  
  
‘The Last of Us’
• A mutated strain of Cordyceps fungus ravages the US and turns people into walking nightmares reminiscent of zombies. There’s some heavy storyline regarding people who are infected.
  
  
‘Resident Evil’ Series
• After a genetically modified virus has been unleashed, people turn into horrific zombies and other mutated creatures that you must get rid of. Oh, and you have to battle against the evil Umbrella corporation that created the virus in the first place.
  
  
‘Candy Crush’
• It’s a really good time-waster.

Pima Community College announced Thursday evening that a variety of new measures are immediately implemented to “mitigate the impact of the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 on students, visitors, and employees.”

In addition to extending Spring Break an extra two days, to March 25, the college announced that in-person classes will move to virtual instruction whenever possible. Courses requiring hands-on learning will continue in person until further notice.

“Courses that cannot be transitioned to a virtual environment, such as labs and hands-on training will also continue to be taught face to face. After two weeks the College will reassess when to return to normal operations,” the college said in a statement announcing the change.

All non-essential college travel has been canceled or postponed until further notice. All non-essential events through April 30 have also been postponed or canceled.

College Provost Dolores Duran-Cerda also asked faculty to loosen attendance requirements for ill students, and to encourage students to stay at home if they feel sick.

Additionally, the college has implemented increased measures to daily clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces such as desks and chairs, door knobs, stair railings, and crash bars.