Friday, November 6, 2020
Because of increased positivity rates, TUSD will delay in-person instruction until January 4th. Stay safe, mask-up!
Posted by Adelita S. Grijalva on Friday, November 6, 2020
The board had voted 3-2 to have students return to schools for in-classroom instruction late last month.
UPDATED: Here's the letter to parents from TUSD Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo:
More details to come.11/6/20
Greetings Tucson Unified Family,
As your Superintendent there is no responsibility I take more seriously and no priority more important than ensuring the health, safety, and security of our students and employees. This commitment is the core value inherent in any decision I make. Throughout this pandemic your Governing Board and I have committed to honoring the expertise of the Pima County Health Department by utilizing their data to guide our decision making regarding the re-opening of our schools, programs, and extra-curricular activities. It is in this spirit that I have made the difficult decision to not open the Tucson Unified School District for Hybrid Learning starting Thursday November 12th. In my briefings this week with the Pima County Health Department leadership team, I was informed that our county will be in a state of widespread community transmission of COVID-19 at the time of our planned opening. I encourage you to view her 11/4/20 community update message here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=1aaDMT9ECWM Out of an abundance of caution, our leadership team has made a commitment to only initiate “hybrid” instruction when Pima County is in a state of moderate transmission or better. Please note that our remote instructional model will remain unchanged. Your child or children should continue to log on to their regularly scheduled remote classes at their regularly scheduled times. School bell schedules for remote instruction will remain the same.
We will continue to have On Campus Learning Spaces open for at-risks students, as well as any families that would like their children to be on campus. Our On-Campus Learning Spaces will continue to feature access to remote instruction and basic campus services for students that attend.
If you are a family that chose Hybrid Learning, your student will be prioritized when Hybrid Learning begins in the Spring.
I thank you for your continued patience, support, and trust in the Tucson Unified School District and look forward to continuing to provide you with updates as soon as information becomes available. Be safe and be healthy.
It’s Ballet Tucson’s 35th anniversary and the company is hitting the town to celebrate with social distancing performances at several local hotspots.
The 2020 Pop Up Performances kick-off Saturday at the Tucson Botanical Gardens with a Día de los Muertos-themed recital taking place alongside the garden’s La Calavera Catrina exhibit featuring 9-foot-tall skeletal depictions of figures of Mexican culture.
"I am so happy to be performing in these pop ups . . . art is so vital to our community, and during these times particularly so,” said Ballet Tucson company dancer Casey Myrick in a recent email. “Ballet has always famously brought magic to life for children and adults alike. The setting of the first pop up this weekend in the Tucson Botanical Gardens lends itself exquisitely to this show and couldn't be a more fitting venue."
However, before you attend be aware you need to purchase time-specific tickets at tucsonbotanical.org. The Botanical Gardens is limiting guest capacity and requiring face masks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Upcoming performances:
- Nov. 7 – 6:30 p.m. & 8 p.m. at the Tucson Botanical Gardens
- Nov. 15 – 11:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. the Tucson Museum of Art
- Dec. 5 – 6:30 p.m. & 8 p.m. Holiday theme at Reid Park Zoo
- Dec. 12 – 6:30 p.m. & 8 p.m. Holiday theme at the Tucson Botanical Gardens
- Dec. 20 – 11:30 a.m. & noon Holiday theme at St. Philip’s Plaza, free performance
Elegant dance moves on the stage are only part of the story, because the pandemic has shuttered the company’s ability to collect ticket sales. However, Ballet Tucson had a successful fundraising campaign during the summer and sees the Pop Up Performances as a means to assist local attractions during the pandemic.
The performances are included in the cost of admission to the venue and it’s a way to support these local institutions.
“We just wanted to make sure that we were partnering with organizations that have deep roots within the community,” Mullin said.
Uplifting others is a common refrain from Tucson Ballet this fall with Mullin expressing her gratitude to Tucson Weekly readers for naming the troupe the Best Dance Company in Best of Tucson 2020.
“It makes it so much easier knowing that the community has confidence in us and values us, because we know that no matter what steps we have to take going forward, they will be there to support us,” she said.
For those unable to attend in person, the company has online offerings including its bi-weekly series “Ballet Tucson 101” on YouTube and previews on Facebook at @ballettucson.
Tickets are only accepted at your preregistered time in order to comply with social distancing and COVID-19 precaution measures, restrictions vary by location. For more information visit www.ballettucson.org/performances-and-tickets
With 1,996 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 254,000 as of Friday, Nov. 6, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which saw its number of cases jump by 308 yesterday, had seen 29,764 of the state’s 254,764 confirmed cases.
With 22 new deaths reported yesterday, a total of 6,109 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 650 deaths in Pima County, according to the Nov. 6 report.
Although the current rise in COVID-19 cases is alarming, Gov. Doug Ducey warned last week there’s even worse to come.
“We know that there is a storm ahead of us, yet it’s not here,” Ducey said. “But those simple guidelines of wearing a mask, washing our hands, being socially distanced and using common sense have served us very well to date.”
However, the governor doesn’t plan on imposing new safety restrictions to prevent further spread of COVID-19.
“The mitigation that we’ve put out, the plan we put into effect remains in effect. I am proud that Arizona is open, that our economy is open, that our educational institutions are open and our tourist destinations are open,” Ducey said. “While at the same time, we do have mitigation steps in place that have allowed us to protect lives while protecting livelihoods, and we’re gonna continue to do that.”
But public health officials are warning that unless trends reverse, the state could face a “staggering” death toll, according to Cronkite News.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide has declined from July peaks but has ticked upward in recent weeks as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly. ADHS reported that as of Nov. 5, 1,082 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state. That number peaked with 3,517 hospitalized COVID patients on July 13; it hit a subsequent low of 468 on Sept. 27.
A total of 1,077 people visited emergency rooms on Nov. 5 with COVID symptoms, the highest that number has been since Aug. 8. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28.
Thursday, November 5, 2020
With 2,135 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 252,000 as of Thursday, Nov. 5, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which saw its number of cases jump by 165 yesterday, had seen 29,456 of the state’s 252,769 confirmed cases.
With 28 new deaths reported yesterday, a total of 6,087 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 650 deaths in Pima County, according to the Nov. 5 report.
Although the current rise in COVID-19 cases is alarming, Gov. Doug Ducey warned last week there’s even worse to come.
“We know that there is a storm ahead of us, yet it’s not here,” Ducey said. “But those simple guidelines of wearing a mask, washing our hands, being socially distanced and using common sense have served us very well to date.”
However, the governor doesn’t plan on imposing new safety restrictions to prevent further spread of COVID-19.
“The mitigation that we’ve put out, the plan we put into effect remains in effect. I am proud that Arizona is open, that our economy is open, that our educational institutions are open and our tourist destinations are open,” Ducey said. “While at the same time, we do have mitigation steps in place that have allowed us to protect lives while protecting livelihoods, and we’re gonna continue to do that.”
But public health officials are warning that unless trends reverse, the state could face a “staggering” death toll, according to Cronkite News.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide has declined from July peaks but has ticked upward in recent weeks as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly. ADHS reported that as of Nov. 4, 1,100 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, the highest it has been since Aug. 18. That number peaked with 3,517 hospitalized COVID patients on July 13; it hit a subsequent low of 468 on Sept. 27.
A total of 1,007 people visited emergency rooms on Nov. 4 with COVID symptoms, topping 1,000 for the first time since Aug. 26. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28.
A total of 254 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Nov. 4. The number of COVID patients in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13 and hit a subsequent low of 114 on Sept. 22.
On a week-by-week basis in Pima County, the number of positive COVID tests peaked the week ending July 4 with 2,452 cases, according to an Oct. 29 report from the Pima County Health Department.
Pima County saw a big bump in cases following the return of UA students, followed by a steady decline and then a big bump upward. For the week ending Sept. 19, 1,230 cases were reported; for the week ending Sept. 26, 615 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 3, 533 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 10, 465 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 17, 512 cases were reported; and for the week ending Oct. 24, 829 cases were reported.
Deaths in Pima County are down from a peak of 54 in the week ending July 4 to 10 in the week ending Sept. 5, one in the week ending Sept. 12, three in the week ending Sept. 19, four in the week ending Sept. 26, four in the week ending Oct. 3, two in the week ending Oct 10, and zero in the subsequent weeks.
Hospitalization peaked the week ending July 18 with 221 COVID patients admitted to Pima County hospitals, but it has been on the rise in recent weeks. In the week ending Sept. 19, 17 patients were admitted; in the week ending Sept. 26, 15 people were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 3, 20 patients were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 10, 27 people were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 17, 35 people were admitted; and in the week ending Oct. 24, 28 people were admitted. (Recent weeks are subject to revision.)
Get tested: Pima County offers free COVID testing, UA offering antibody testing
The Pima County Health Department has four free testing centers around town with easy-to-schedule appointments—often with same-day availability—with results in 24 to 72 hours.
You’ll have a nasal swab test at the Kino Event Center (2805 E. Ajo Way) the Udall Center (7200 E. Tanque Verde Road) and downtown (88 E. Broadway). The center at the northside Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road, involves a saliva test designed by ASU.
Schedule an appointment at pima.gov/covid19testing.
The University of Arizona’s antibody testing has been opened to all Arizonans as the state attempts to get a handle on how many people have been exposed to COVID-19 but were asymptomatic or otherwise did not get a test while they were ill.
To sign up for testing, visit https://covid19antibodytesting.arizona.edu/home.
PHOENIX – Health officials Wednesday warned of a “staggering” death toll in Arizona as cases of the novel coronavirus continue to rise unabated, citing fatigue over COVID-19 and crowded holiday gatherings as potential dangers.
Dr. Joshua LaBaer, executive director of Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute, said its team attributes a resurgence of cases in Arizona and nationwide to a potential new era in the pandemic – one in which Americans weary of eight months of isolation return to pre-COVID-19 routines of work, school and play. That could lead to a rise that surpasses even the state’s spike last summer, when nearly 1 out of 4 tests were positive.
About two weeks ago, LaBaer cautioned that cases were about to reach 1,000 a day. That estimate turned out to be conservative.
“Arizona’s moving average is now around 1,300, almost 1,400, new cases a day,” he said. “It’s not rising quite as rapidly as it did at the end of June, but it is rising consistently day-over-day and that’s a concern.”
He recommended minimal mingling during the holidays and a return to pandemic precautions of wearing masks, social distancing and frequent testing for the disease, which since January has killed more than 6,000 people in Arizona and 230,000 across the nation.
“I would suggest, for the upcoming holidays, that people really limit it to their immediate family this year. I don’t think it’s a great year for big family get-togethers,” LaBaer said.
Nearly 10% of tests in Arizona are positive, according to the Arizona Department of Health website, and half the 250,000 cases of the virus reported in Arizona are in Maricopa County, the state’s most populous.
LaBaer said Arizona has some confusing markers. A number of people have recovered from COVID-19 and appear to be immune for up to six months, which should mean a slowdown in the transmission of the disease. But that hasn’t happened.
“The fact that the transmission rate is as high as it was back then means that people are doing a better job of transmitting it, which is not good,” he said. “People are interacting more, and some of that may be COVID fatigue, some may be that people are back at work more often, but we really need to be attentive to reducing that sort of thing.”
As the global race for an approved COVID-19 vaccine pushes on, more people are getting the coronovirus that causes the disease.
“We’re hitting a milestone here where the seven-day average for new cases is approaching 100,000 new cases a day. To put that in some perspective, the number of new cases we saw yesterday was around 90,000. That is more than the total number of cases in the original Wuhan outbreak,” LaBaer said, referring to the industrial city in central China where COVID-19 emerged late last year.
Herd immunity has never been achieved without a vaccine, he said. Despite the widespread devastation and death toll caused by the virus, Arizona and the rest of the world are nowhere near the necessary 60% level to achieve herd immunity.
ASU has managed to keep the number of new cases low, LaBaer said.
ASU in January drew national attention when an ASU student became one of the nation’s first recorded cases of COVID-19. The student, who had returned from a trip to Wuhan, has recovered.
Regularly aggregated data on ASU’s COVID-19 management website recorded 86 of the 91 total known positive cases, as of Nov. 2, as off-campus students. Sixteen faculty and staff members have tested positive.
“We’re lucky there,” LaBaer said. “I personally believe that part of the reason our numbers are so good is because we do such regular testing.”
ASU has tested more than 106,000 students and employees since Aug. 1, using a saliva-based test the university developed that also is available to the public. The test has since been used at Northern Arizona University.
In previous months, health officials across the country have warned against potential spikes in cases after national holidays, such as the Fourth of July and Labor Day, though LaBaer did not share the same concern over the possibility of a post-Halloween surge among ASU students.
“I think our student population has been pretty well behaved,” LaBaer said, referring to those living on campus. “The harder part, for me, is the off-campus population, because those folks are in the community and it’s clear that our community numbers are rising and hard for them to escape that. I think that’s probably the likely bigger source of the issue.”
Will Humble, executive director for the Arizona Public Health Association, and other health officials also see a similar difference between on-campus and off-campus student behavior.
“The off-campus behavior has a direct impact on the success of the whole reentry program,” said Humble, former director of the state health department. “That’s why it’s so key to have a partnership between ASU and the city of Tempe.”
Humble agreed that ASU’s system of regular mass testing is effective.
“The standard is not perfection, the standard is to do the best you can. ASU had a great plan, and still does have a great plan on campus,” he said, but school officials need to work more closely with community officials and law enforcement to monitor off-campus behavior.
ASU shifted all classes online after Thanksgiving. LaBaer encouraged students to get tested before traveling and again before returning to campus in the spring to avoid the likelihood of spreading the coronavirus.
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
With 814 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 250,000 as of Wednesday, Nov. 4, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which saw its number of cases jump by 150 yesterday, had seen 29,291 of the state’s 250,633 confirmed cases.
With 39 new deaths reported yesterday, a total of 6,059 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 647 deaths in Pima County, according to the Nov. 4 report.
Although the current rise in COVID-19 cases is alarming, Gov. Doug Ducey warned last week there’s even worse to come.
“We know that there is a storm ahead of us, yet it’s not here,” Ducey said. “But those simple guidelines of wearing a mask, washing our hands, being socially distanced and using common sense have served us very well to date.”
However, the governor doesn’t plan on imposing new safety restrictions to prevent further spread of COVID-19.
“The mitigation that we’ve put out, the plan we put into effect remains in effect. I am proud that Arizona is open, that our economy is open, that our educational institutions are open and our tourist destinations are open,” Ducey said. “While at the same time, we do have mitigation steps in place that have allowed us to protect lives while protecting livelihoods, and we’re gonna continue to do that.”
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide has declined from July peaks but has ticked upward in recent weeks as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly and jumped by more than 100 yesterday. ADHS reported that as of Nov. 3, 1.065 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, topping 1,000 for the first time since Aug. 21. That number peaked with 3,517 hospitalized COVID patients on July 13; it hit a subsequent low of 468 on Sept. 27.
A total of 989 people visited emergency rooms on Nov. 3 with COVID symptoms. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28.
A total of 241 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Nov. 3. The number of COVID patients in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13 and hit a subsequent low of 114 on Sept. 22.
On a week-by-week basis in Pima County, the number of positive COVID tests peaked the week ending July 4 with 2,452 cases, according to an Oct. 29 report from the Pima County Health Department.
Pima County saw a big bump in cases following the return of UA students, followed by a steady decline and then a big bump upward. For the week ending Sept. 19, 1,230 cases were reported; for the week ending Sept. 26, 615 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 3, 533 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 10, 465 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 17, 512 cases were reported; and for the week ending Oct. 24, 829 cases were reported.
Deaths in Pima County are down from a peak of 54 in the week ending July 4 to 10 in the week ending Sept. 5, one in the week ending Sept. 12, three in the week ending Sept. 19, four in the week ending Sept. 26, four in the week ending Oct. 3, two in the week ending Oct 10, and zero in the subsequent weeks.
Hospitalization peaked the week ending July 18 with 221 COVID patients admitted to Pima County hospitals, but it has been on the rise in recent weeks. In the week ending Sept. 19, 17 patients were admitted; in the week ending Sept. 26, 15 people were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 3, 20 patients were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 10, 27 people were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 17, 35 people were admitted; and in the week ending Oct. 24, 28 people were admitted. (Recent weeks are subject to revision.)
Get tested: Pima County offers free COVID testing, UA offering antibody testing
The Pima County Health Department has four free testing centers around town with easy-to-schedule appointments—often with same-day availability—with results in 24 to 72 hours.
You’ll have a nasal swab test at the Kino Event Center (2805 E. Ajo Way) the Udall Center (7200 E. Tanque Verde Road) and downtown (88 E. Broadway). The center at the northside Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road, involves a saliva test designed by ASU.
Schedule an appointment at pima.gov/covid19testing.
The University of Arizona’s antibody testing has been opened to all Arizonans as the state attempts to get a handle on how many people have been exposed to COVID-19 but were asymptomatic or otherwise did not get a test while they were ill.
To sign up for testing, visit https://covid19antibodytesting.arizona.edu/home.
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
PHOENIX – Amid an otherwise relaxing Halloween weekend, Kliff Kingsbury’s biggest scare proved to be breaking news on the virus front, not spooky costumes. And this time, it hit home hard.
Two Arizona players tested positive for COVID-19 during the team’s bye week – starting outside linebacker Devon Kennard, who revealed on Twitter that he had been infected, and second-year cornerback Byron Murphy. Both are homegrown products.
Kingsbury did not disclose the identity of the players who tested positive, but their names were placed on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list, and will remain there until satisfying league protocols.
“It wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when this would occur,” Kingsbury said Monday morning. “There (were) a couple positives, and luckily the contact tracing was limited and yesterday’s test results were all negative, so we’re just moving forward with that protocol and taking it from there.”
Kingsbury said it would be “business as usual when it comes to practice” Monday, which means the Cardinals will try to stay on track as they prepare for the suddenly daunting Miami Dolphins, who thumped the NFC West-contending Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
With 1,679 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases closed in a quarter-million as of Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 29,141 of the state’s 249,818 confirmed cases.
With 38 new deaths reported yesterday, a total of 6,020 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 646 deaths in Pima County, according to the Nov. 3 report.
Although the current rise in COVID-19 cases is alarming, Gov. Doug Ducey warned last week there’s even more to come.
“We know that there is a storm ahead of us, yet it’s not here,” Ducey said. “But those simple guidelines of wearing a mask, washing our hands, being socially distanced and using common sense have served us very well to date.”
However, the governor doesn’t plan on imposing new safety restrictions to prevent further spread of COVID-19.
“The mitigation that we’ve put out, the plan we put into effect remains in effect. I am proud that Arizona is open, that our economy is open, that our educational institutions are open and our tourist destinations are open,” Ducey said. “While at the same time, we do have mitigation steps in place that have allowed us to protect lives while protecting livelihoods, and we’re gonna continue to do that.”
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide has declined from July peaks but has ticked upward in recent weeks as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly. ADHS reported that as of Nov. 2, 956 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state. That number peaked with 3,517 hospitalized COVID patients on July 13; it hit a subsequent low of 468 on Sept. 27.
Monday, November 2, 2020
As Tucson’s schools reopen for in-person classes, some are reporting an increasing number of COVID-19 cases among students and staff—many who are being asked to quarantine themselves if they were in contact with people who have tested positive.
As of Monday, the Amphitheater Unified School District has reported 20 active coronavirus cases resulting in 98 students and staff members quarantining, according to Communications Director Michelle Valenzuela.
Since opening in a hybrid model on Oct. 12, Amphitheater has reported 24 total cases reaching 10 different school sites. Valenzuela says four of those cases are no longer active.
Superintendent Todd Jaeger believes the cases are originating from off-campus events.
“While it's somewhat defeating and concerning that we've had the cases that we had, it's notable to me that they have all originated off of campus,” Jaeger said. “In other words, we don't have a single case yet that we know of that originated on campus.”
The superintendent said high COVID-19 case counts are usually related to one specific activity that occurred over a weekend. Such was the case, according to Jaeger, with eight Ironwood Ridge High School students who tested positive over the past week.
He asks students to practice proper safety protocol to avoid the virus as much outside of school as they do in the classrooms.
“The message for everyone there is that you can’t socially distance, you cannot properly wear masks, you cannot take appropriate precautions in just one part of your life, it has to be in all walks of your life,” Jaeger said. “In school, still, it does not take a lot of policing, the kids are generally very, very compliant. I guess I was hoping that was the case off of campus as well.”
At Holaway Elementary, both fifth-grade classrooms moved to entirely online instruction after two staff members reported positive COVID-19 tests on Oct. 28 and 31.
Jaeger said these larger quarantines will be “narrowly tailored” based on each school’s coronavirus outbreaks after consulting with the Pima County Health Department.
“We are always going to keep the safety of students at the forefront of our decision making. We're consulting specifically with public health officials, epidemiologists and the like to tell us what we should do,” he said. “It's all of those other events in our life that pose potential exposure risks as well, that we have to be vigilant of. We have to be vigilant in all of our interactions out there in public right now.”
Here are all the Amphitheater schools that have reported positive coronavirus cases since reopening:
