Wednesday, August 26, 2020
For more information, visit harkins.com
The University of Arizona administration announced they will delay their staged reopening plan just one day after the fall semester began on Aug. 24.
In an Aug. 25 email to faculty, students and staff, UA Provost Liesl Folks said the administration decided to continue Stage 1 of the reopening (essential in-person classes only) during the second week of instruction, which begins Monday, Aug. 31.
Stage 2 was originally set to begin on Aug. 31 and would have allowed small classes to resume in person, bringing another 9,000 people to campus. But Folks said they’ve decided to hold off on Stage 2 for the time being, after consulting with local public health officials.
“Based on the test data and discussions with our campus community, we have decided to continue in Stage 1 during Week 2,” Folks said in her letter. “While nearly all the data we have today shows improving trends for limiting the spread of the coronavirus in Arizona, we feel that we should continue in Phase 1 to allow more time for public health data to be collected and analyzed before we move to instruction to Stage 2: Essential In-Person / Outdoor / Small In-Person courses.”
Out of more than 9,000 antigen tests performed in the university community between July 31 and Aug. 25, the UA has uncovered 37 positive COVID-19 cases. On Aug. 25 alone, 342 antigen tests were conducted and six positive COVID-19 results were identified.
The university is using far more antigen tests—which are less expensive and produce rapid results—than traditional PCR tests, which can take 48 hours or longer to produce results. There has been controversy over the effectiveness of antigen testing. During the same time period, only 37 PCR tests were performed and reported no positive COVID-19 results.
For more information, visit covid19.arizona.edu/updates.
Tags: COVID19 , Coronavirus , University of Arizona , Reentry , Testing , Image
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Sunday, Aug. 9 marked five months since Pima County saw its first case of COVID-19. As of that date—now a few weeks in the rear-view mirror—there had been 17,880 recorded infections and 489 deaths across the region.
Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry says the fight is still far from over.
“In looking at the long view over the months since the pandemic started, we are not yet seeing any significant, sustainable decline in infections or deaths,” Huckelberry wrote in an Aug. 24 memo. “This data, as reported by the Arizona Department of Health Services, will and has varied significantly from day to day. This daily fluctuation should not and cannot be interpreted as a trend.”
This analysis contrasts with what the state health department has been telling the public in recent weeks. Gov. Doug Ducey said the state has made significant progress in decreasing the number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths. As of Aug. 24, Pima County has recorded 20,535 COVID-19 cases and 551 deaths related to the virus.
In order to control the virus, Huckelberry said the county needs to focus on testing, contact tracing, and surveillance testing, which involves continually retesting those who have higher risks of being exposed to COVID-19, such as healthcare workers and first responders. He suggests surveillance testing be done through antigen tests, which are less expensive and produces rapid results.
Tags: COVID-19 , Coronavirus , Pima County , Testing , Contact Tracing , Schools , Hospital , Health Department , Image
PHOENIX – Nearly 200 tents stand inches apart on the scorching gravel lots, many covered in blankets for an extra layer of relief from the desert sun. Outside, their occupants sit on hot ground or in folding chairs, nearby palm trees providing no shade. Despite 12-foot-square sections painted in the gravel, there is little social distancing for Phoenix’s homeless population.
Created by local officials in late April as a temporary solution for some of the estimated 3,700 unsheltered homeless, the fenced-in lots on the edge of downtown promised round-the-clock security, social distancing and access to water and toilets. But residents complain that hygiene supplies have become scarce, and measures meant to contain the spread of COVID-19 are not enforced.
“We have been, like, ignored,” said Elisheyah, 61. “There’s no safety, nothing to guarantee you can be safe out here.”
Homeless people are one of the most vulnerable populations in the coronavirus pandemic, yet they’re largely invisible victims of the crisis. Very little is known about how they’re faring, in part because the Department of Housing and Urban Development – the main federal agency overseeing programs for them – has not required its national network of providers to gather information on infections or deaths. That’s despite the fact that unlike other high-risk, congregate-living groups, such as nursing home residents and prisoners, homeless people interact more with the general public.
The number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 199,000 as of Tuesday, Aug. 25, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 20,919 of the state’s 199,273 confirmed cases.
With 21 new deaths reported today, a total of 4,792 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, according to the Aug. 25 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases remained below 1,000 yesterday. ADHS reported that 999 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state. That number peaked at 3,517 on July 13.
A total of 900 people visited ERs on Aug. 24 with COVID symptoms. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7.
A total of 319 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Aug. 24, the lowest that number has been since May 22, when 309 people were in ICU. The number in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
In Pima County, the week-by-week counting of cases peaked the week ending July 4 with 2,398 cases, according to an Aug. 19 report from the Pima County Health Department. Those numbers have dropped with Pima County requiring the wearing of masks in public but they have plateaued in recent weeks, with 832 cases in the week ending Aug. 8 and 819 cases in the week ending Aug. 15. (Not all recent cases may have been reported.)
Deaths in Pima County are down from a peak of 54 in the week ending July 4 to 19 for the week ending Aug. 8.
Hospitalization peaked the week ending July 18 with 247 COVID patients admitted to Pima County hospitals. For the week ending Aug. 8, 88 COVID patients were admitted to Pima County hospitals.
City of Tucson offering rental assistance, grants for those affected by pandemic
The City of Tucson has allocated $4.5 million of federal CARES Act funding for an emergency rent and utility assistance program available to city residents.
To be eligible for the financial assistance, participating renters must have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the household income cannot exceed $68,400.
One application will be accepted per household, and each household can receive up to $2,500 to cover up to three months of late or upcoming rent or utility payments that were incurred after March 1, 2020.
All applicants will need to provide copies of their identification, bills, proof of income and other household information. The city’s Housing and Community Development department is partnering with several nonprofit organizations to administer these funds, including Primavera, Interfaith Community Services, Catholic Community Services and the International Rescue Committee.
Representatives from one of these agencies will contact applicants within five days for a phone interview and may ask for additional information. The funds will be sent directly to each applicants’ landlord and/or utility company.
“Keeping Tucsonans safe and healthy in their homes is the most important thing as many of our residents have been greatly impacted financially by this pandemic,” said Housing and Community Development Director Liz Morales in a press release.
The application process is open and renters are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Visit www.tucsonaz.gov/hcd/rent-help to complete an application. If you need assistance or are unable to complete the application online, call (520) 837-5364 or email [email protected].
The city is also setting aside $3 million of CARES Act funding to be distributed to local workers and families that have been negatively impacted by the crisis.
The grant program, named the “We Are One | Somos Unos Resiliency Fund” will focus on individuals and households that have not received any state or federal COVID-19 relief money and whose income does not reach Pima County’s self-sufficiency standard.
The self-sufficiency standard measures how much money an individual or family needs to earn to be able to meet their basic needs with no public or private financial assistance. In 2018, the self-sufficiency standard for a single adult in Pima County was $9.66 per hour or $1,700 per month. For a household with two adults and two young children, the standard was $13.22 per hour for both adults, or $4,711 per month.
The city is partnering with the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona, which will administer the grants and accept applications until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
In addition, the city’s We Are One | Somos Unos Resiliency Fund recently received a $1.25 million donation to provide financial relief for Tucson’s immigrant communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The donations, from the Open Society Foundations and an anonymous donor, will provide funds to immigrants living in the City of Tucson and the City of South Tucson. These are people who have been significantly impacted by COVID-19 but are often excluded from federal aid.
The Open Society Foundations is a worldwide philanthropic organization run by billionaire George Soros.
The $1.25 million will be disbursed through grants to those who were not eligible to receive federal CARES Act stimulus checks earlier this year, and who face additional barriers to financial assistance programs, according to a city press release.
“It is unconscionable that many of our fellow Tucsonans do not have access to federal aid despite risking their lives serving as essential workers during this pandemic,” said Mayor Regina Romero in the release. “No one should suffer hardship in the shadows and, unfortunately, that’s the painful reality many immigrants are enduring.”
Tucson council member Lane Santa Cruz said that early in the COVID-19 pandemic advocates from the Immigrant Empowerment Taskforce shared information about how immigrant families were being affected. In the release, Santa Cruz said they were grateful for the donations which will help the city address these economic injustices.
The Sunnyside Foundation has been designated as the administrator of the funds, and details on how to receive aid will be shared on Sept. 1 at www.sunnysidefoundation.org.
“Entire families in our community are being evicted from their homes, losing jobs, and having to decide between buying groceries or paying utility bills,” said Sunnyside Foundation Executive Director Kerri Lopez-Howell in the release. “We are honored to steward these resources and eager to work alongside grassroots community leaders, organizers, and advocates to ensure that those most impacted receive these dollars.”
Rent assistance available for biz closed by Ducey’s executive order
Gov. Doug Ducey's administration and the Local First Arizona Foundation will accept applications for a new grant program that aims to provide $10 million in financial assistance to small businesses across the state.
The Arizona Small Business Rent and Mortgage Relief Grant program will focus on helping local businesses that had to close their operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor’s office is partnering with the foundation in order to facilitate the disbursements.
“The partnership leverages the grantmaking experience and small business expertise of Local First Arizona Foundation, which has already distributed over $2 million in grant funds to small businesses across the state of Arizona, to continue their work of putting small businesses on a path for recovery,” said Local First Communications Manager Maria Lopez in a press release.
The grants will provide up to two months of rent or mortgage payments for small businesses headquartered in Arizona that were directly impacted by the governor’s Executive Order 2020-43, which shuttered gyms, fitness centers, bars, nightclubs, indoor movie theatres, water parks and tubing operators in response to the spread of COVID-19 throughout the state.
Qualifying businesses can receive up to $25,000, and the money will be prioritized for businesses that are struggling the most to meet their financial obligations and do not have access to other financial support, the release states.
In order to be eligible for this grant program, businesses must have been operating in Arizona prior to Jan. 1, 2020; must be directly impacted by the executive order; must be renting or leasing a physical location outside the owner’s personal residence and must be employing fewer than 50 workers.
Each business owner can only apply for one grant. In order to apply, owners are encouraged to provide rent or mortgage statements for June through October, income source information, attestation of cash on hand and/or attestation of good standing with the Arizona Department of Revenue.
The grant program will give preference to businesses that are the primary or sole source of income for its owners.
The application process opened this morning. Interested individuals can fill out an application at www.localfirstaz.com/azsmallbizrent.
Get tested: Pima County has several testing centers
Pima County has three free testing centers with easy-to-schedule appointments—often with same-day availability—and you get results in less than 72 hours.
Centers offering a nasal swab are at the Kino Event Center, 2805 E. Ajo Way, and the Udall Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road. 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 centers are also tied into Pima County’s developing contact tracing operation, which aims to be able to identify potential clusters and warn people if they have been in contact with someone who is COVID-positive.
If you’re interested in a test to determine if you’ve already had COVID-19, the UA has expanded a free COVID-19 antibody testing program to include 15 new categories of essential workers considered at high risk for exposure. The antibody test, developed by researchers at UA Health Sciences, determines who has been exposed to and developed an immune response against COVID-19.
In addition to healthcare workers and first responders, the test program is now open to educators, childcare workers, agriculture, grocery and foodservice workers, hospitality employees, solid-waste collection workers, transportation services workers and members of the National Guard. More information and registration for the test is available at covid19antibodytesting.arizona.edu.
—with additional reporting from Kathleen B. Kunz, Austin Counts, Jeff Gardner and Tara Foulkrod
Monday, August 24, 2020
Pima County had seen 20,535 of the state’s 198,414 confirmed cases.
With 0 new deaths reported today, a total of 4,771 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, according to the Aug. 24 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases continues to decline. ADHS reported that as of Aug. 23, 908 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, the lowest that number has been since June 1, when 1,009 people were hospitalized. That number peaked at 3,517 on July 13.
A total of 896 people visited ERs on Aug. 23 with COVID symptoms. That number, which peaked at 2,008 on July 7, has been on a plateau for most of this month, bouncing between 1,100 and 900 since Aug. 8.
A total of 345 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Aug. 23, with lows rivaling numbers since May 25, when 337 people were in ICU. The number in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
In Pima County, the week-by-week counting of cases peaked the week ending July 4 with 2,398 cases, according to an Aug. 19 report from the Pima County Health Department. Those numbers have dropped with Pima County requiring the wearing of masks in public but they have plateaued in recent weeks, with 832 cases in the week ending Aug. 8 and 819 cases in the week ending Aug. 15. (Not all recent cases may have been reported.)
Deaths in Pima County are down from a peak of 54 in the week ending July 4 to 19 for the week ending Aug. 8.
Hospitalization peaked the week ending July 18 with 247 COVID patients in Pima County hospitals. For the week ending Aug. 8, 88 COVID patients were in Pima County hospitals.
Ducey: Stay the Course
In a brief press conference last week that did not include Ducey’s usual PowerPoint presentation regarding statistics, Gov. Doug Ducey thanks the Trump administration, local authorities and the National Guard for their work during the pandemic.
Ducey said the state was making progress in the fight against the virus and Arizonans should continue taking precautions such as avoiding large gatherings, staying home when possible, washing hands and wearing a mask.
“We’re going to continue to be guided by the data and the doctors,” Ducey said. “Returning our kids to the classroom, reuniting with our loved ones, all of these depend on continued responsible behavior you have demonstrated so well for so long. So I urge everyone to stay the course, stay physical distanced, stay smart and healthy and continue to mask up.”
Unemployment numbers creeping upward
Friday, August 21, 2020
The Oro Valley branch of the Tucson Children’s Museum launching a fundraiser that will allow families to have play time in the museum by themselves for a donation fee.
The program, called Oro Valley Outing, is intended to allow families to have a fun and enriching time away from the home while staying safe from COVID-19 and supporting the museum financially.
Beginning Sept. 9, families and social bubbles of up to 10 people can sign up for private 1.5 hour reservations at the museum for a $150 donation. While it seems like a steep price, the museum had to close back in March when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and hasn't been able to bring in the admission revenue that helps them pay the rent and other expenses, so the donations keep the museum going until it can fully reopen.
Oro Valley Outings follows the museum’s successful summer fundraiser at the downtown Tucson location, which raised more than $20,000.
“It’s important to younger children to have an outlet for curiosity and play, and we know that some parents are anxious to get out of the home,” said Executive Director Hilary Van Alsburg in a press release. “With its focus on Early Childhood Education, Children’s Museum Oro Valley offers a great opportunity for those parents to visit a place that’s safe, fun and advances learning for their kids.”
The museum will be cleaned for each visiting group, allowing children to have the full hands-on experience of the museum. Oro Valley Outings will be available Wednesdays through Sundays from Sept. 9 to Sept. 30. Families who are unable to donate the $150 can register to win a free session on Give Back Tuesdays.
Find details here.
Tags: Children's Museum , Oro Valley , Outings , Fundraiser , COVID-19 , Image
The number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases closed in on 197,000 as of Friday, Aug 21, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 20,173 of the state’s 196,899 confirmed cases.
With four new deaths reported today, a total of 4,688 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, according to the Aug. 21 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases continues to decline. ADHS reported that as of Aug. 20, 1,068 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, the lowest that number has been since June 1, when 1,009 people were hospitalized. That number peaked at 3,517 on July 13.
A total of 982 people visited ERs on Aug. 20 with COVID symptoms. That number, which peaked at 2,008 on July 7, has been on a plateau for most of this month, bouncing between 1,100 and 900 since Aug. 8.
A total of 365 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Aug. 20, the lowest that number has been since May 25, when 337 people were in ICU. The number in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
Ducey: "Stay the Course"
In a brief press conference yesterday that did not include Ducey’s usual PowerPoint presentation regarding statistics, Gov. Doug Ducey thanks the Trump administration, local authorities and the National Guard for their work during the pandemic.
Ducey said the state was making progress in the fight against the virus and Arizonans should continue taking precautions such as avoiding large gatherings, staying home when possible, washing hands and wearing a mask.
“We’re going to continue to be guided by the data and the doctors,” Ducey said. “Returning our kids to the classroom, reuniting with our loved ones, all of these depend on continued responsible behavior you have demonstrated so well for so long. So I urge everyone to stay the course, stay physical distanced, stay smart and healthy and continue to mask up.”
City of Tucson offering rental assistance, grants for those affected by pandemic
The City of Tucson has allocated $4.5 million of federal CARES Act funding for an emergency rent and utility assistance program available to city residents.
To be eligible for the financial assistance, participating renters must have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the household income cannot exceed $68,400.
Thursday, August 20, 2020
The Pima County Board of Supervisors on Monday approved a new partnership with the Community Investment Corporation to distribute more than $3.6 million to local residents facing evictions.
The Community Investment Corporation is an economic development nonprofit working to assist in education, home ownership and entrepreneurship for Pima County residents. This partnership is part of the county’s larger commitment to distribute $20.5 million from six different funding sources for rental assistance, associated deposits and related legal fees.
The CIC will lead a coalition of nonprofit housing providers to serve at least 600 low-income renters that are currently in eviction proceedings because of COVID-19.
Financial assistance will go toward unpaid rent from as far back as March 1, 2020—if landlords agree to waive late fees, withdraw the eviction and enter into a payment plan with their tenant, according to a county press release. Legal and court fees incurred since March are also eligible for reimbursement through this program.
Pima County has hired additional workers to expedite rental assistance applications, which can be accessed through the Arizona Department of Housing’s website. The county constables will also be integral for working with tenants and landlords to generate direct referrals for the program and distribute the funds quickly to those most in need, the release states.
Tags: Rental Assistance , Eviction Prevention , Pima County , Community Investment Corporation , Grant Program , Renter , Tenant , Landlord , Image
Beginning today, Gov. Doug Ducey's administration and the Local First Arizona Foundation will accept applications for a new grant program that aims to provide $10 million in financial assistance to small businesses across the state.
The Arizona Small Business Rent and Mortgage Relief Grant program will focus on helping local businesses that had to close their operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor’s office is partnering with the foundation in order to facilitate the disbursements.
“The partnership leverages the grantmaking experience and small business expertise of Local First Arizona Foundation, which has already distributed over $2 million in grant funds to small businesses across the state of Arizona, to continue their work of putting small businesses on a path for recovery,” said Local First Communications Manager Maria Lopez in a press release.
The grants will provide up to two months of rent or mortgage payments for small businesses headquartered in Arizona that were directly impacted by the governor’s Executive Order 2020-43, which shuttered gyms, fitness centers, bars, nightclubs, indoor movie theatres, water parks and tubing operators in response to the spread of COVID-19 throughout the state.
Qualifying businesses can receive up to $25,000, and the money will be prioritized for businesses that are struggling the most to meet their financial obligations and do not have access to other financial support, the release states.
In order to be eligible for this grant program, businesses must have been operating in Arizona prior to Jan. 1, 2020; must be directly impacted by the executive order; must be renting or leasing a physical location outside the owner’s personal residence and must be employing fewer than 50 workers.
Each business owner can only apply for one grant. In order to apply, owners are encouraged to provide rent or mortgage statements for June through October, income source information, attestation of cash on hand and/or attestation of good standing with the Arizona Department of Revenue.
The grant program will give preference to businesses that are the primary or sole source of income for its owners.
The application process opened this morning. Interested individuals can fill out an application at www.localfirstaz.com/azsmallbizrent.
Tags: COVID-19 , Coronavirus , Small Business , Executive Order , Doug Ducey , Local First Arizona Foundation , Grant Program , Image
