With all five seats up for grabs in this year’s election, candidates for the board of Supervisors have a range of opinions on Pima County’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Some support the calls to stay at home and close or limit businesses, while others say that citizens should be free to make their own decisions on how to best protect their health.

Actions by the Board of Supervisors as well as Gov. Doug Ducey have closed “non-essential” businesses such as bars, retail shops, beauty salons and tattoo parlors to temporarily close in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has overwhelmed hospitals in cities where it has spread rapidly. Pima County has nearly 1,000 confirmed cases, though health officials say that the lack of testing means there are more cases that haven’t been reported.

Among the candidates in District 1, which includes Oro Valley and Marana, candidate Rex Scott, a Democrat who worked as a public school educator and principal of Tortolita Middle School, said the federal and state governments’ inadequate responses to the virus have left county governments and local municipalities “struggling to fill a leadership void.”

He applauds the county’s decision to put Health Department officials at the forefront of their public information campaign. Department Director Dr. Bob England has broadcast daily updates, information and perspective about COVID-19 on the county’s Facebook page, and Deputy County Administrator Dr. Francisco Garcia has taken a leading role in answering questions about the situation during board meetings.

The culinary staff at Casino Del Sol are staying busy despite the shutdown, preparing lunches for local healthcare professionals across the region.

Over the next week, they will deliver approximately 3,000 meals.

“Supporting our local community, especially those on the front lines, during this uncertain and difficult time is of the utmost importance to us at Casino Del Sol,” said CEO Kimberly Van Amburg, in a statement. “We must all come together and do everything we can to help those who are making sacrifices for us. They are so busy caring for others, they don’t even have time to stop and grab lunch, so we brought lunch to them.”

Deliveries began with St. Mary’s Hospital on Monday, April 20, and wraps up next Wednesday with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Facilities Management Department and police and fire departments. Lunches will also be delivered to St. Joseph's Hospital, Tucson Medical Center, Banner - University Medical Center Tucson, Banner - University Medical Center South and El Rio Community Health Center.

Chamber of Commerce leaders in Pima County are urging business owners who haven't filed a Paycheck Protection Program loan application with a financial institution to do so immediately ahead of the House of Representatives expected approval of $310 billion in additional funding Thursday.

"In light of the potential news that an additional $310 billion will be released for the PPP, small businesses should apply now so they are already in the system when the new funds are released," said President and CEO of the Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce Amber Smith.

The Small Business Administration said loans would be approved in the order in which they are recieved.

"Right now, the SBA is not accepting any new applications," said Jordan Ripley, public information officer for the U.S. Small Business Administration Arizona District Office. "However, some lenders are accepting new applications in order to have their queue lined up if additional funding was appropriated for the program."

While Ripley is unsure if the SBA will begin accepting applications anytime soon, she did say for those who have already applied to contact their financial lender about the status of their current application.

District Director for Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona's 2nd Congressional District Ron Barber said another recovery bill is being discussed as the house is poised to vote on the current $480 billion Thursday. Kirkpatrick is on the House Committee of Appropriations which allocates federal funding.

Between balancing her work priorities from home and helping raise an 11-year-old, Tucson resident Michelle Ortiz said sending her youngest child to summer camp would be a welcome relief—though she’s not holding her breath.

“A summer camp, or anything that would give her the opportunity to be engaged, be stimulated, play with and have social time with other kids, would be optimal,” said Ortiz, who looks after Olivia, her boyfriend’s daughter.

Ortiz isn’t alone in her desire for programming. Families already struggling to keep their kids happy and motivated without school or afterschool classes may soon face another challenge as they search for a summer camp. No one really knows what parts of the state (if any) will reopen next month.

Gov. Doug Ducey’s stay-home order will expire next Thursday, April 30, and Ducey said Wednesday that he’s waiting to make any decisions until next week.

That leaves very little wiggle room for municipalities, nonprofits, and community groups which normally host camps beginning mid-May.

It's Thursday, so a new edition of Tucson Weekly is on newsstands now! But with many of our distribution points closed under the stay-at-home order, you may be wondering where you can still find a copy of our latest issue. Good news: There are still plenty of places to pick us up. Here's a list of our current distribution locations. Remember you can find us at Albertson's grocery stores, Quik Marts and 7-Eleven stores. We've asked distribution points that are closed to set racks outside their place of business.

Central/UA/Downtown

Time Market, 444 E. University Blvd.
Downtown Dispensary, 221 E. Sixth Street
Empire Foods, 540 E. Ninth St.
Flying Saucer, 439 N. Sixth Ave
Tap & Bottle, 403 N. Sixth Ave
Miller's Surplus, 406 N Sixth Ave.
Moon Smoke Shop, 338 N. Fourth Ave.
Hippie Gypsy, 351 N. Fourth Ave.
Mr. Heads Bar, 513 N Fourth Ave.
Boca, 533 N. Fourth Ave.
Brooklyn Pizza, 534 N. Fourth Ave.
Martin's, 557 N Fourth Ave
Magpies Pizza, 605 N. Fourth Ave
Epic Café, 745 N. Fourth Ave.
YWCA, 738 N. Fifth Ave.
Moon Smoke Shop, 2351 N. Alvernon Way
Catalina Market, 2601 N. Columbus Blvd

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 5,769 as of Thursday, April 23, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Pima County had 1,026 confirmed cases.

The coronavirus had killed 249 people statewide, including 70 in Pima County, according to the report.

In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 2,970.

Testing still lags in Arizona, so those numbers undercount the number of people infected with the virus, according to health officials. The state is not yet releasing information about how many people who have tested positive have now recovered.

Today is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day! Listen to some awesome music for free and read the stories we covered today:

• The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 5,459 as of Wednesday, April 22, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
• Hospitals and outpatient surgical centers in Arizona may resume elective surgeries for patients if they can prove they are prepared for any potential influx of COVID-19 cases beginning May 1, according to Gov. Doug Ducey.
• You can ditch the suit-and-tie look while working from home, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't still dress in stylish T-shirts.
• The Small Business Administration says it will not accept new Payment Protection Program or Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications yet.
• Immigration experts and advocates aren’t sure how to assess President Donald Trump’s Monday evening tweet announcing his intention to temporarily suspend immigration.
• Whether speed-dating on Zoom or making plans for a virtual movie night, couples are getting creative in making and maintaining romantic connections during these times of social distancing.
• Tucson's favorite Chanteuse Marianne Dissard is back with a stunning cover.
• As part of their online library during quarantine downtime, Arizona Theatre Company will be hosting the first in a series of weekly Facebook Live broadcasts at 4 p.m. Friday, April 24.
• COVID-19 has swept through an assisted living facility in Chandler, where 13 residents have died due to complications from the disease and 28 others have tested positive, a spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday evening.

PHOENIX – COVID-19 has swept through an assisted living facility in Chandler, where 13 residents have died due to complications from the disease and 28 others have tested positive, a spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday evening.

“Our condolences and hearts go to the families of these residents. We are grieving each one as we have cared for them,” Amira Fahoum of the facility’s parent company, Compass Living, told azcentral.com.

The 13 deaths account for 13% of all COVID-19 related deaths in Maricopa County and 6% of Arizona’s total, as of Tuesday, the newspaper noted.

State health officials Wednesday reported 21 new deaths from COVID-19, matching Tuesday’s record one-day total.

Hospitals and outpatient surgical centers in Arizona may resume elective surgeries for patients if they can prove they are prepared for any potential influx of COVID-19 cases beginning May 1, according to Gov. Doug Ducey.

The governor suspended elective surgeries March 19.

Ducey considers the healthcare change his first step in “increasing the energy” of the state’s economy, though it comes with some criteria from the Arizona Department of Health Services:

• Demonstrating greater than a 14 day supply of PPE;
• Ensuring adequate staffing and beds;
• Testing patients prior to surgery and all at-risk health care workers;
• Ensuring appropriate discharge plans for patients being transferred to nursing care facilities, including diagnostic testing for COVID-19;
• Implementing a universal symptom screening process for staff, patients, and visitors;
• Establishing an enhanced cleaning process for waiting areas;
• And prioritizing the restart of elective surgeries based on urgency.

Facilities will need to receive approval from DHS before resuming elective surgeries.


“Hospitals around the state have stepped up to provide additional protections for their staff and patients and increased bed capacity to prepare for a possible COVID-19 surge,” Ducey said in a statement. “Because of these preparations, and the responsible actions of Arizonans across our state, data shows our health system continues to remain ahead of the curve. Today’s order continues to prioritize public health while improving access to care for Arizonans and the overall viability of our health care system.”

PHOENIX – Whether speed-dating on Zoom or making plans for a virtual movie night, couples are getting creative in making and maintaining romantic connections during these times of social distancing.

Even those already in long-distance relationships and accustomed to communicating virtually are finding the forced quarantines and physical separation challenging.

Mireya Treviño, a senior at the University of Texas in Austin, met her boyfriend when he visited from San Antonio for a Halloween party. Despite the distance – the cities are a 90-minute drive apart – the two started talking and officially began a relationship in December.

Treviño, who is studying public health, wasn’t too worried about COVID-19 at first. Then she learned she’d been exposed, leaving her boyfriend to console her from afar.