Today’s updates, criteria for reopening Tucson, Move Tucson Virtual Townhall, and more.

Pima County Health Department Recommendations:https://t.co/8oEiQOZM1A

Move Tucson Virtual Townhall: https://t.co/4upNOAzdMC pic.twitter.com/XHNcoqCVP3

— Regina Romero (@TucsonRomero) May 14, 2020

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said today that Gov. Doug Ducey is moving too quickly by allowing the state's stay-at-home order to expire after tomorrow, Romero's statement in her latest update to Tucson:

This week, Governor Ducey announced that his “Stay Home, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected” Executive Order will be ending May 15 and new guidance will be put in place. As eager as we all are to return to any sense of normalcy, I believe that the Governor is moving too quickly and that we should proceed methodically and cautiously to prevent a re-emergence that would be even more damaging to our economy in the long-run.

Dr. Fauci and our nation's top health experts testified earlier this week that without widespread testing and a robust contact tracing plan in place, states that are re-opening risk a second wave of the virus. Although some improvements have been made, we lag the rest of the country in both areas. I don’t want our economy to just re-open, I want it to remain open. That will NOT happen if there is a second wave of the virus and we are forced to shut down again.

As more businesses open up, I encourage everyone to continue following CDC guidelines by practicing social distancing and wearing a face covering while out in public. My deepest gratitude goes to all the businesses and employers that are taking adequate precautions to protect their employees and patrons. Restaurants in Pima County that are opening up for dine-in services should review the regulations adopted by the Pima County Board of Supervisors yesterday. All businesses that are opening should also review the recommendations and guidelines put out by the Governor’s office.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 12,674 of Thursday, May 14, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
‹
Pima County had 1,696 confirmed cases.

The coronavirus had killed 624 people statewide, including 152 in Pima County, according to the report.

In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 6,341.

Because symptoms can take as long as two weeks to appear after exposure to the virus (while some people can remain entirely asymptomatic), health officials continue to urge the public to avoid unnecessary trips and gatherings of more than 10 people and have advised people to cover their faces with masks in public.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced this week that he would not extend Arizona’s stay-at-home order past Friday, May 15. He also said that gyms, pools and movie theaters could open this week.

Ducey also invited major-league sports to play in Arizona, although he said it would have to be without fans in the audience.

Ducey had already given the green light for restaurants and bars that offer food service to reopen this week. Restrictions were lifted on stores, barber shops and salons last week.

Ducey said he hoped that schools would be able to reopen in the fall but was yet not ready to make that call.

Dr. Bob England, the director of the Pima County Health Department, said the reopening of bars this week "wasn't people's general understanding" given that Ducey had said in an April press conference that bars would remain shuttered longer than restaurants because people tend to mingle in bars. England said expected to see "a lot of variation out there."

"It's going to be a little bit like the Wild West," England warned. "Just know that if you're vulnerable, if you're older, if you have underlying health conditions that put you at higher risk, then please, please, please hunker down for a while longer."

England said last week that the results of reopening so many establishments wouldn’t be known for weeks as test results tend to lag behind the actual spread of the virus.

“It will take a few weeks to know the impact of this so we won’t know until early June what all of this is doing to the epidemic curve,” England said in a daily briefing.

Other members of the medical community said Ducey’s move may have come soon and will result in greater spread of the virus. State Rep. Randy Friese, an emergency room doctor, warned last week that by relaxing so many standards so quickly, Ducey was risking losing all the progress that state has made in stemming the disease.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the Trump administration, told the U.S. Senate in testimony this week that states and cities should follow the guidelines set out by the CDC when allowing businesses to reopen.

“It’s my concern that if some areas—cities, states, what have you—jump over those various checkpoints and prematurely open up without having the capability to respond effectively and efficiently, my concern is that we will start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks,” Fauci said. “The consequences could be really serious.”

In other COVID-related news:

• The Pima County Board of Supervisors yesterday 3-2 voted to enact emergency health regulations related to the “best practices” strategies developed by the county’s Back To Business Task Force. Republican Supervisors Steve Christy and Ally Miller voted against the regulations, which include taking the temperature of all workers and anyone making deliveries to restaurants. Christy said the regulations were too burdensome for a sector that has already been hammered by the outbreak's fallout.

• Pima County Public Libraries will reopen on Monday, May 18, with limited services, including book pickup, computer use on a first-come, first-served basis, and printing, copying and fax services. The new open hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will still be precautions for coronavirus, including taking guests' temperatures before they enter the building, wearing face masks and maintaining six feet of physical distance. The library will also allow only a limited number of people in at a time, and guests will most likely have to wait in line to get in.


• Today, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base’s 355th Wing, alongside the Arizona Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing, are taking off from Tucson International Airport at 2 p.m. in a flyover across the metro area in a salute to healthcare workers. A formation of two A-10 Thunderbolts IIs and two F-16 Fighting Falcons will begin the flyover at 2 p.m. The 40-minute flight will pass by healthcare facilities in Tucson, Sahuarita, Green Valley, Oro Valley, and Marana.

• The Arizona Supreme Court has denied an effort by initiative campaigns to collect online signatures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is disappointing in Arizona to see the courts and the attorney general and legislature repeatedly prevent the options of choice to voters where their options are to forgo their constitutional rights or to risk their health and safety," said Roopali Desai, the lawyer representing the initiative campaigns. "It's really unfortunate the court did not grant the relief under such extreme circumstances. It's not only disappointing but it's incredibly dishearting."

Initiative campaigns such as Smart and Safe Arizona, Save our Schools Arizona, Invest In Education and Arizonans for Second Chances filed a Petition for Special Attention with the Arizona Supreme Court on April 2. The groups wanted to utilize the state's E-Qual electronic signature system in an attempt to help initiatives continue collecting signatures during the pandemic. But lawyers for the state argued that the Arizona Constitution requires that petition passers personally witness every voter's signature.

• COVID-19 symptoms typically occur two to 14 days after exposure, and include headache, fever, cough, shortness of breath, blue toes or a loss of taste and smell, according to the CDC. However, some cases of the virus are entirely asymptomatic. Practices to avoid infection include social distancing (of at least six feet), washing your hands, avoiding unnecessary trips and not touching your face. If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever, cough or difficulty breathing, speak with a healthcare provider for medical advice.

According to the CDC, people who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to recover at home. Stay at home and avoid public transportation, but stay  in touch with your doctor. If you do leave your home, wear a facemask and clean your hands often. If you develop more severe symptoms (persistent pain or pressure in the chest, confusion, bluish lips) get medical attention immediately. Your local health authorities will give instructions on checking your symptoms and reporting information.

Have you caught COVID-19? Are you feeling ill? Is your small business struggling to make it? Have you lost your job as a result of the outbreak? Are you struggling to manage your kids while schools are closed? Tell us your COVID-19 stories. Send an email or photo to [email protected].

Halfway through, and two days before the stay-at-home order expires. We got this. Until then, here are all the other things we've covered today.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 12,176 of Wednesday, May 13, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
On Monday, May 18, Pima County Public Libraries will reopen with limited services, including book pickup, computer use on a first-come, first-served basis, and printing, copying and fax services.
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base’s 355th Wing, alongside the Arizona Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing, are taking off from Tucson International Airport May 14 for a salutatory flyover across the Greater Tucson Metro, the airbase announced.
While many are saying it’s too early to open up society again due to increasing COVID-19 cases across the country, counties in Arizona are known as “weak arms” of the state government and must comply with their mandates.
In a 3-2 vote, the Pima County Board of Supervisors approved to immediately update the county's health code to include 15 of the 17 new guidelines recommended by the Pima County Health Department during today's emergency meeting.
The Arizona Supreme Court has denied an effort by initiative campaigns to collect online signatures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a 3-2 vote, the Pima County Board of Supervisors approved to immediately update the county's health code to include 15 of the 17 new guidelines recommended by the Pima County Health Department during today's emergency meeting. Supervisors Ally Miller and Steve Christy voted against updating the health code.

"Restaurants and other industries have suffered terribly, have been devastated for many weeks now," Christy said. "Finally, they're open by the governor and in Pima County the first thing that hits these suffering businesses are burdensome regulations and the threat of fines. Does this say Pima County is open for business?"

The health department issued the new guidelines to help combat the spread of COVID-19 as bars and restaurants reopen to dine-in service on May 11. Christy's main beef with these new guidelines vetted by the county's Bars and Restaurant Task Force as a part of the Back To Business initiative is that Arizona Restaurant Association didn't get a chance to review the proposed regulations before the board voted today, although Arizona Restaurant Association Chief Operating Officer Dan Bogert is a member of the Bars and Restaurant Task Force.

"The task force that was created by the Back to Business in Pima County never had the opportunity to hear objections from I think the most significant entity, the Arizona Restaurant Association," Christy said. "Why are we moving so fast without input from such significant entities?"

Among the new protective measures the ARA, Christy, and Miller take issue with is health and wellness checks of all vendors and people making third-party deliveries before coming on-premise or starting a shift. 

"This one is very troublesome. I think it really is an overstep requiring (businesses) to do that for deliveries," Miller said. " I think the point (the ATA) made is, 'This is a violation. We're not medical workers so why should we be required to test everybody else's employees?'"

Christy asked for a "friendly amendment" to hold the vote until their regularly scheduled meeting next Tuesday. He would like to see business owners implement the changes without fear of repercussions if not followed perfectly.

"The county assumes right off the bat that business will do the wrong thing, that business can't be trusted," Christy said. "Governments need to get out of the way and allow businesses to do what they do best and that is to adopt new process changes."

Chairman Ramon Valadez declined Christy's request, saying the county did not have the time to wait because the county's new guidelines needed to be updated immediately to keep customers safe and build consumer confidence.

"Look, these conditions are not meant to keep restaurants out of business. The truth is the intent of this is when there are patrons in these restaurants they can feel certain that we are ensuring their safety as best as we can," Valadez said. "This is not a disease that discriminates. This is not a disease that is gone. The truth is we have a responsibility."

The Protective Measures are:

Minimum Employee, Vendor, Delivery Service and Patron health and wellness measures:

-Wellness/symptom checks, including temperature checks for all restaurant personnel, vendors, contractors, third party delivery service workers, etc. as they arrive on-premises and before opening of a restaurant.

-Cloth masks and gloves and frequent handwashing is required for all servers and restaurant personnel (except gloves not required for servers if hands are sanitized between servings).

-Any patron exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 is prohibited from entering the facility.

Minimum restaurant operation measures:

-Physical and electronic signage posting at the restaurant entrance of public health advisories prohibiting individuals who are symptomatic from entering the premises.

-Indoor occupancy limited to 50 percent or lower.

-Service by take out, reservation or call ahead seating only, including text and/or telephone notification of patrons requesting restaurant in-person service, allowing restaurant patrons to physical distance until called for service.

-Physical distancing of six feet minimum between tables.

-Clearly marked six-foot spacing marks throughout the restaurant, along entrances, hallways, restrooms and any other location within a restaurant.

-Parties no larger than 10 allowed per table and bar top seating is not allowed.

-Menus must be in a format that does not promote potential virus transmission e.g. menu boards, single-use menus.

-Elimination of self-service stations including salad bars, buffets, soda refill stations, and table-side food preparation.

-Expansion of outdoor service areas to increase physical distancing standards.

-Hand sanitizers available at entrances to the facility, restrooms and in employee work areas.

-Sanitize customer areas after each sitting with EPA-registered disinfectant, including but not limited to: Tables, Tablecloths, Chairs/booth seats, Table-top condiments and condiment holders.

-Post documentation cleaning logs online and at the entrance documenting cleaning of all public areas (inclusive of countertops, door handles, waiting areas, etc.) at least every two to three hours.

Additional measures to consider:

-Restaurant personnel should have a national certification in food safety and handling, as well as specific training in the prevention of COVID-19.

-Implement touchless payment methods.




 

Yesterday, Governor Doug Ducey announced the statewide stay-at-home order will be lifted this Friday, May 15, leaving counties across the state with just a few days to draw up plans to safely bring their employees back to work.

While many are saying it’s too early to open up society again due to increasing COVID-19 cases across the country, counties in Arizona are known as “weak arms” of the state government and must comply with their mandates.

In a recent memo, Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry ordered all telecommuting county staff to return to work once the stay-at-home order is lifted. The county government is one of Tucson’s largest employers with a workforce exceeding 7,000 people.

About 4,000 of those employees are still working during the pandemic, with a little more than 1,000 telecommuting to prevent the spread of the virus. Many others are deemed essential workers and cannot perform their duties remotely.

In his May 4 memo, Huckelberry took a “no exceptions” tone when talking about employees returning to work. He said telecommuting would only be allowed if an employee has a “compromising medical condition” as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that is verified through written documentation of a Medical Provider’s Attestation.

The same requirement applies to employees who live with someone that has such a condition, but they will not be allowed to telecommute and instead will have to use their paid time off to remain away from work and protect their loved ones from exposure.

If any staff declines to come back to the workplace, Huckelberry said they will receive no pay and their absence will be deemed “unauthorized.”

Huckelberry's push to get employees back into county buildings contradicts advice given by the county’s own health department.