As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to wreak havoc in the restaurant world, a longtime institution in midtown Tucson is announcing that takeout won't keep them going through these stay-at-home days: Kingfisher will cease operations for the duration of the pandemic as of 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 8.

Kingfisher is still doing takeout between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. today and tomorrow.

Man, I'm gonna miss that menu for the duration, especially that glorious burger.

Here's the note from Kingfisher owners Jeff Azersky and Jim Murphy:

Today, Jeff and I have made the decision to announce the closure of Kingfisher for the remaining duration of this crisis. We will be closing Kingfisher on Wednesday April 8, 2020 at 6pm. We feel the strength that your support brings to what Kingfisher and its staff represents in the community The last 3 weeks, in particular, has been inspiring and we thank you for it.

We have spent the last 27 years of our lives getting to this place and it is difficult to hit the pause button. We are all going home to be with our families, but will return when the crisis has abated. When we come back, it will be with new spring/summer menus, Road Trip menus. and a renewed sense of purpose and commitment. The Love you have shown us since closing the dining rooms on March 17th has gone a long way to help support our staff.

Major League Baseball officials are kicking around the idea of starting the season with all teams at Chase Field and the various spring-training ballparks in the Phoenix area as soon as May, but without fans in the bleachers. ESPN reports:

Though the plan has a number of potential stumbling blocks, it has emerged above other options as the likeliest to work and has been embraced by MLB and MLB Players Association leadership, who are buoyed by the possibility of baseball's return and the backing of federal officials, sources said.

The plan, sources said, would dictate that all 30 teams play games at stadiums with no fans in the Phoenix area, including the Arizona Diamondbacks' Chase Field, 10 spring training facilities and perhaps other nearby fields. Players, coaching staffs and other essential personnel would be sequestered at local hotels, where they would live in relative isolation and travel only to and from the stadium, sources said. Federal officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the National Institutes of Health have been supportive of a plan that would adhere to strict isolation, promote social distancing and allow MLB to become the first professional sport to return.

Major League Baseball is out with a statement this morning saying that various plans are under consideration to take us out to the ballgame again:

MLB has been actively considering numerous contingency plans that would allow play to commence once the public health situation has improved to the point that it is safe to do so. While we have discussed the idea of staging games at one location as one potential option, we have not settled on that option or developed a detailed plan. While we continue to interact regularly with governmental and public health officials, we have not sought or received approval of any plan from federal, state and local officials, or the Players Association. The health and safety of our employees, players, fans and the public at large are paramount, and we are not ready at this time to endorse any particular format for staging games in light of the rapidly changing public health situation caused by the coronavirus.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona had reached 2,575 as of Tuesday, April 7, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Pima County had 415 of the state’s confirmed cases.

The coronavirus had killed 73 people statewide, including 13 in Pima County, according to the Pima County Health Department.

In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 1,495.

The state remains under Gov. Doug Ducey’s stay-at-home order that has closed a wide number of “non-essential” businesses, including many retails stores, barbershops, salons, and swap-meets. Public parks remain open but amenities such as playgrounds and restrooms are closed.

Under the stay-at-home order, Arizonans are still able to shop for groceries, medical and household needs, and pet supplies. They can also go work, pick up a take-out meal from a restaurant, travel to take care of a family member, friend or pet, and can still go walking, hiking, biking and golfing, provided that they adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Gov. Doug Ducey yesterday issued an executive order halting evictions for small businesses and nonprofit organizations. Ducey announced a halt on evictions for residential renters on March 24.

The executive order encourages landlords to defer rent payments for small businesses facing economic hardship amid COVID-19 and suggests waiving all fees and interest from late payments.

Small businesses and nonprofit organizations will no longer face eviction notices after Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order Monday afternoon halting such actions. Ducey announced a halt on evictions for residential renters on March 24.

The executive order also encourages landlords to defer rent payments for small businesses facing economic hardship amid COVID-19. Ducey also suggested waiving all fees and interest from late payments.

“Arizona is grateful to the many landlords who are already working as good partners with small businesses during these challenging times,” said Gov. Ducey in his announcement. “This order helps ensure no small business or nonprofit will face eviction due to COVID-19 and that landlords and small businesses work in partnership to make sure we get through this emergency together. There’s more work to do to ensure Arizona’s small businesses can make it through this public health emergency. As we continue to prioritize public health, we will continue to do everything in our power to support those in our small business and nonprofit communities serving us.”

The COVID-19 outbreak has drastically changed society’s normal daily routines as people stay home from work and school in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.

But what if your home isn’t the safest place for you?

Across Arizona, organizations that provide crucial services to survivors of domestic violence are focused on helping them stay safe during what is a very stressful time for everyone, but a potentially dangerous time for those facing abuse.

“We can all imagine the idea that if the threat is outside of our doors, we often retreat to our homes and we want to lock the door and that’s the way we feel safe,” said Ed Mercurio-Sakwa, the CEO of Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse. “But when the threat is inside the home, telling people ‘Do not leave your home’ is a really scary idea.”

Emerge! operates an emergency shelter for survivors, a 24/7 bilingual crisis helpline, prevention and intervention services, support groups and several education-based programs aimed at ending domestic abuse. They are the largest organization in Southern Arizona dedicated to helping domestic abuse survivors, and all of their services are still available during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mercurio-Sakwa said Emerge is experiencing an increase in the number of people reaching out for help. While there’s a wide variety of reasons for that, he said social distancing is the exact thing that can be detrimental to someone who is dealing with violence in their home.

“Isolation is a really commonly used tactic in abusive relationships,” he said. “It’s a way to keep people away from support systems that might help them navigate that safety issue in their relationship. It’s a way to keep people away from somebody that might contradict what that abusive partner is saying. Someone who might say ‘That doesn’t sound right’ or ‘That doesn’t sound like a healthy relationship’ or ‘That sounds really scary.’”

The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona received an early Arizona Gives Day present in the form of a $35,000 contribution from local realtors.

The Tucson Association of REALTORS, Tierra Hope Foundation and Long Cares Foundation came together to make the donation.

“We are grateful for this support from the Tucson Association of REALTORS,” said food bank CEO Michael McDonald. “Our doors are open and we continue supplying people with emergency food at this time, even as we see demand increase. Working together with support from our community will allow us to get through these challenging times.”

The food bank provides aid and resources to five different counties in Southern Arizona: Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, and Santa Cruz, totaling 23,000 square miles and over 1.2 million people.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in Southern Arizona, the food bank is now producing approximately 8,000 meals a week.

“The need is great and what better way to give back than through dollar donations,” said Steve Redmond, president of Tucson REALTORS Charitable Foundation, in a statement. “We felt passionate about giving back especially since Arizona Gives Day is Tuesday, April 7. We encourage people to contribute directly to communityfoodbank.org this Tuesday to make a difference. Even a small donation goes a long way.”

Arizona Gives Day is sponsored by Arizona Gives, a program run by the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits and Arizona Grantmakers Forum. Since its inception in 2013, the event has provided more than $17 million in fundraising for nonprofits across the state.

More information can be found online at azgives.org.

The food bank is considered an essential business and continues to operate during Gov. Doug Ducey’s stay-at-home order.

The facility has shifted its operations considering the circumstances and has shifted to drive-thru distribution at its main warehouse on West Country Club Road in order to minimize personal contact, according to public relations and marketing specialist Norma Cable.

Cable added that nearly 60 members of the Arizona National Guard are working to help package and distribute emergency food.

The best way to support the food bank is by donating online at communityfoodbank.org.

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In the early days of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., around the last week of February, I joked to a colleague that maybe now, finally, people would learn how to wash their hands properly. My remark revealed a naive assumption I had at the time, which was that all we needed to do to keep the novel coronavirus contained was follow a few simple guidelines: stay home when symptomatic and maintain good personal hygiene. The problem, I thought, was that nobody was following the rules.

In the past few weeks, however, more and more reports have emerged to challenge my neat assumptions. Seven out of 14 NBA players, coaches and staff who tested positive didn’t have symptoms when they were diagnosed, The Wall Street Journal reported. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a case study on a nursing facility in King County, Washington, where 23 residents tested positive for COVID-19, and it found that 13 reported no symptoms initially. Sixty singers went to rehearsal and followed all the rules, according to the Los Angeles Times — nobody hugged, shook hands or appeared ill — yet three weeks later, 45 were diagnosed with COVID-19 or had symptoms of the disease, and two have died.

With articles about “silent spreaders” and “stealth transmission” flying across the internet, friends were starting to text me: Was it still OK to go for a walk with a friend, even 6 feet apart? Or should all interaction be avoided? Should we start wearing masks to the grocery store? At the same time, my colleagues were scrutinizing guidelines at various workplaces and agencies we cover: The New York City Fire Department told workers on March 19 they were to come to work, so long as they had no symptoms, even if they had had “close contact with someone who is a known positive COVID-19 patient,” according to a document obtained by ProPublica. Was that policy wise?

I decided to dive into the available data. What I discovered is that not only can people be infected and experience no symptoms or very mild symptoms for the first few days, but this coincides with when the so-called viral load — the amount of virus being emitted from an infected person’s cells — may be the highest. That makes the virus a truly formidable opponent in our densely packed, globally connected world. We’re going to have to be smarter than this virus to stay on top of it.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona had reached 2,456 as of Monday, April 6, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Pima County had 415 of the state’s confirmed cases.

The coronavirus had killed 65 people statewide, including 13 in Pima County, according to yesterday’s report from the Pima County Health Department.

In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 1,433.

Gov. Doug Ducey started the weekend on Friday by narrowing the list of “essential businesses” that are allowed to remain open under his stay-at-home order, saying that barbershops; cosmetology, hairstyling, nail salons, and aesthetic salons; tanning salons; tattoo parlors; spa, massage parlors, and swap meets all had to close by 5 p.m. Saturday.

Ducey also order closed basketball courts, splash pads, playgrounds, and public restrooms in public parks and said that communal pools at hotels, condominiums, apartment complexes and parks must be closed. The expanded list of shuttered businesses and amenities comes after Ducey faced criticism by Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and others that he had allowed too many businesses to remain open under a list of "essential services."

Under the stay-at-home order, Arizonans are still able to shop for groceries, medical and household needs, and pet supplies. They can also go work, pick up a take-out meal from a restaurant, travel to take care of a family member, friend or pet, and can still go walking, hiking, biking and golfing, provided that they adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Health care workers remain desperately short of personal protective gear across the state, but Gov. Doug Ducey announced that Honeywell had agreed to produce more than 6 million N95 masks for the state. Honeywell had announced last week that it would producing the masks at its Phoenix manufacturing plant.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona has reached 2,269 as of Sunday, April 5, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Pima County had 372 confirmed cases, a jump of 46 over yesterday’s 326.

The coronavirus had killed 64 people statewide, including 12 in Pima County, according to yesterday’s report from the Pima County Health Department.

In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 1,326, a jump of 155 from yesterday’s 1,171.

Gov. Doug Ducey started the weekend on Friday by narrowing the list of “essential businesses” that are allowed to remain open under his stay-at-home order, saying that barbershops; cosmetology, hairstyling, nail salons, and aesthetic salons; tanning salons; tattoo parlors; spa, massage parlors, and swap meets all had to close by 5 p.m. yesterday.

Ducey also order closed basketball courts, splash pads, playgrounds, and public restrooms in public parks and said that communal pools at hotels, condominiums, apartment complexes, and parks must be closed but maintained by management. The expanded list of shuttered businesses and amenities comes after Ducey faced criticism by Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and others that he had allowed too many businesses to remain open under a list of "essential services."

Under the stay-at-home order, Arizonans are still able to shop for groceries, medical and household needs, and pet supplies. They can also go work, pick up a take-out meal from a restaurant, travel to take care of a family member, friend or pet, and can still go walking, hiking, biking and golfing, provided that they adhere to social distancing guidelines.

“Slowing the spread of COVID-19 will ensure we build capacity in our healthcare system, and help protect the lives of those we love most,” Ducey said Monday. “It’s important to emphasize that there are no plans to shut down grocery stores. People should continue to buy what you need for a week’s worth of groceries."

Health care workers remain desperately short of personal protective gear across the state, but Gov. Doug Ducey announced that Honeywell had agreed to produce more than 6 million N95 masks for the state. Honeywell had announced last week that it would producing the masks at its Phoenix manufacturing plant.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona has topped 2,000, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Pima County had 326 of the state’s confirmed 2,019 cases.

The coronavirus had killed 52 people statewide, including 11 in Pima County.

In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 1,171.

Gov. Doug Ducey yesterday narrowed the list of “essential businesses” that are allowed to remain open under his stay-at-home order, saying that barbershops; cosmetology, hairstyling, nail salons, and aesthetic salons; tanning salons; tattoo parlors; spa, massage parlors, and swap meets all must close by 5 p.m. today.

Ducey also called for the closing of basketball courts, splash pads, playgrounds, and public restrooms in public parks and said that communal pools at hotels, condominiums, apartment complexes, and parks should be closed but maintained by management. The expanded list of shuttered businesses and amenities comes after Ducey faced criticism by Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and others that he had allowed too many businesses to remain open under a list of "essential services."

Under the stay-at-home order, Arizonans are still able to shop for groceries, medical and household needs, and pet supplies. They can also go work, pick up a take-out meal from a restaurant, travel to take care of a family member, friend or pet, and can still go walking, hiking, biking and golfing, provided that they adhere to social distancing guidelines.

“Slowing the spread of COVID-19 will ensure we build capacity in our healthcare system, and help protect the lives of those we love most,” Ducey said Monday. “It’s important to emphasize that there are no plans to shut down grocery stores. People should continue to buy what you need for a week’s worth of groceries."