PHOENIX – During an online roundtable discussion Tuesday, four Arizona mayors discussed economic challenges facing their cities as they await Gov. Doug Ducey’s decision on reopening the state.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego has requested that Ducey allow mayors to be a part of the decision process on whether to extend or keep the stay-at-home order, which is set to expire at the end of Thursday. The governor last week said he would base his decision on the latest data on the spread of COVID-19 in the state, which has claimed 293 lives so far.

“Governor Doug Ducey put in an executive order and has made it clear that he is the decision maker on these issues,” Gallego said. “Governor Ducey’s staff used to have phone calls daily with the mayors at the beginning of the virus, but they have canceled that.”

The mayors of Casa Grande and Tolleson reported that more essential businesses in their cities stayed open during Ducey’s order than in Phoenix and Mesa, which might help them in the long run.

“A lot of our industry is essential so it continues to work, we have about 27 manfucturing facilities. The biggest issue is going to be the bars and restaurants,” said Casa Grande Mayor Craig McFarland, adding that the city’s 2020-21 budget is expected to fall just 0.6%.

Several mayors said that whenever Ducey allows businesses to reopen, it will have to be done gradually, with social distancing and crowd-size limits still in place.

“It’ll be interesting to see how we transition out of the stay-at-home order to what extent we incorporate social distancing into our daily lives so we can engage in economic activity as soon as possible,” Mesa Mayor John Giles said. The roundtable was hosted by the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona topped 7,000 as of Wednesday, April 29, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Pima County had 1,215 of the state's 7,202 confirmed cases.

The coronavirus had killed 304 people statewide, including 80 in Pima County, according to the report.

In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 3,723.

Because testing remains limited in Arizona and COVID-19 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.

Gov. Doug Ducey’s stay-home-home order, which drew a two-day protest earlier this month at the state Capitol, expires tomorrow.

The order has closed a wide variety of “non-essential” businesses, including bars, barbershops, salons, theaters, gyms, swap meets, and many retail stores. Restaurants may remain open but only for takeout and delivery service. Public parks remain open but amenities such as playgrounds and restrooms are closed.

Ducey spokesman Patrick Ptak said that administration officials were still tracking data to determine the best course of action regarding whether the stay-at-home order would be extended into May.

Here's a roundup of all the news we've touched on today:

• The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 6,948 as of Tuesday, April 28, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
• The Pima County Health Department will be led by former Assistant U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Theresa Cullen.
• To increase statewide testing for COVID-19, Gov. Doug Ducey announced a plan Monday to test up to 60,000 Arizonans over the course of three weekends.
• Democratic hopeful Mark Kelly continued to lead all Senate candidates in campaign funding for the first quarter of 2020.
• As some governors prepare to relax social distancing restrictions in their states, ProPublica hosted a digital event on Thursday answering your questions.
• Offers from Comcast have been extended to June 30 to help students finish out their school year.
• With Arizona schools closed indefinitely, children have plenty of time on their hands – and parents are looking for teachable moments. One subject that’s not taught in most schools is money and how to earn it, spend it, share it, and save it.

In mid-March, Comcast responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by promising to not cut its Xfinity internet and mobile services for nonpayment and would begin waiving late fees if customers indicated that they could not pay their bills.

Comcast gave unlimited data to all customers, created public WiFi hotspots in business and outdoor locations across the country, and began offering 60 days of complimentary WiFi service to new customers.

These offers have been extended to June 30, so that students can finish out their school year while maintaining WiFi connections. School districts across the country quickly pivoted toward an online format when nationwide school closures were mandated in early March to stop the spread of COVID-19.

For more information, visit www.comcastcorporation.com/COVID-19/.

PHOENIX – To increase statewide testing for COVID-19, Gov. Doug Ducey announced a plan Monday to test up to 60,000 Arizonans over the course of three weekends.

Starting May 2, the state and its health partners plan to mount an Arizona Testing Blitz, with onsite and drive-thru testing. Testing sites include some Banner Health facilities and Walgreens stores, and criteria will be set by each individual location. Testing sites and dates will be continuously updated, the announcement said.

“Arizona has placed an emphasis on ramping up testing, but we need more,” wrote Ducey, whose March 30 stay-at-home order is set to expire Thursday.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is among the organizations addressing the need for more testing. About 5,000 local firefighters, law enforcement officers and other first responders will have access to COVID-19 antibody testing starting Monday, the insurance giant said.

The Pima County Health Department will be led by former Assistant U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Theresa Cullen on June 7 after county administrator Chuck Huckelberry announced the hiring on Monday.

Cullen will replace interim health director Dr. Bob England, who came out of retirement to fill the role until the county replaced Marcy Flanagan, PhD. Flanagan left Pima County to take the director’s spot at the Maricopa County Health Department in 2019.

England will stay on as a part-time physician to assist the county through the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery. Cullen will begin working part-time May 4 as vice-chair of the county’s Back to Business Task Force.

“This is huge for Pima County. I am thrilled to have Dr. Cullen join our team,” said Pima County Chief Medical Officer and Deputy County Administrator Dr. Francisco Garcia, in the announcement. “Dr. Cullen is a respected and eminent public health physician who also is an exceptional administrator. She knows Pima County and Southern Arizona well and will build upon the strategies and programs we’ve established over the past decade to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in Pima County.”

Cullen is a graduate of the University of Arizona College of Medicine, where she is also a clinical professor.

In her new role with Pima County, she will be responsible for leading the response to COVID-19. Cullen previously worked during the 2014/15 Ebola crisis as a volunteer physician with Partners in Health in Sierra Leone.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 6,948 as of Tuesday, April 28, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Pima County had 1,188 confirmed cases.

The coronavirus had killed 293 people statewide, including 76 in Pima County, according to the report.

In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 3,578.

Because testing remains limited in Arizona and COVID-19 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.

This week, Gov. Doug Ducey’s stay-home-home order, which drew a two-day protest earlier this month at the state Capitol, expires on Thursday, April 30.

The order has closed a wide variety of “non-essential” businesses, including bars, barbershops, salons, theaters, gyms, swap meets and many retail stores. Restaurants may remain open but only for takeout and delivery service. Public parks remain open but amenities such as playgrounds and restrooms are closed.

Ducey spokesman Patrick Ptak said that administration officials were still tracking data to determine the best course of action regarding whether the stay-at-home order would be extended into May. Ptak said there were three options under consideration.

“We can let the order expire. We can extend it as is. Or we can extend it with changes and modifications that reflect Arizona’s improving situation on the ground,” Ptak said. “The decision will be based on the data over the next week as well as the guidance and recommendations of public health officials.”

The Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona had a big fundraising event scheduled for Tuesday, April 28, that was swiftly canceled—along with all the other fun spring events in Tucson—because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But in an effort to still raise money for groups and initiatives that work to improve the quality of life for local women and girls, the Women's Foundation has decided to reboot the annual luncheon into an online event that people can participate in right from the comfort of their homes.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 6,716 as of Monday, April 27, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Pima County had 1,164 confirmed cases.

The coronavirus had killed 275 people statewide, including 76 in Pima County, according to the report.

In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 3,457.

Because testing lags in Arizona and COVID-19 symptoms can take as long as two weeks to appear after exposure to the virus (while some people can remain entirely asymptomatic), health officials say community spread of the disease is worse than the official numbers suggest. They 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.

This week, Gov. Doug Ducey’s stay-home-home order, which drew a two-day protest earlier this month at the state Capitol, expires on Thursday, April 30.

The order has closed a wide number of “non-essential” businesses, including bars, barbershops, salons, theaters, gyms, swap meets, and many retail stores. Restaurants may remain open but only for takeout and delivery service. Public parks remain open but amenities such as playgrounds and restrooms are closed.

Ducey spokesman Patrick Ptak said that administration officials were still tracking data to determine the best course of action regarding whether the stay-at-home order would be extended into May.

“We appreciate the passion expressed by Arizonans yesterday, and share their desire to get back to normal as quickly as possible,” Ptak said. Gov. Ducey is working closely with President Trump, Vice President Pence, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Deborah Birx, Dr. Cara Christ, and state, local and federal health experts to implement the latest guidance from CDC and the White House. Every decision we make will continue to be informed by public health and a commitment to reenergizing our economy when it is responsible and safe to do so.”

Ptak said there were three options under consideration.

“We can let the order expire. We can extend it as is. Or we can extend it with changes and modifications that reflect Arizona’s improving situation on the ground,” Ptak said. “The decision will be based on the data over the next week as well as the guidance and recommendations of public health officials.”

Today Congressman Raúl Grijalva joined with a number of border groups to call for a suspension on construction of the border wall during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a press conference call, they said the construction only puts vulnerable communities further at risk and all federal resources should be aimed at fighting the pandemic.

While President Trump recently announced he would suspend immigration into the United States for 60 days in order to slow the spread of the virus, the coalition was quick to point out that deportations are still continuing, including deportation of people with known cases of COVID-19 to countries that already have a strained healthcare system. Meanwhile, the number of people housed in U.S. detention centers continues to grow.

There are still thousands of asylum seekers in Mexico waiting to present themselves at the US border for protection.


Efrén Olivares, legal director of the Racial and Economic Justice Program at the Texas Civil Rights Project, represents about a dozen landowners located near the US/Mexico border. Their properties have been identified by the U.S. government as key building spots for the wall, and Olivares provides counsel to them in their condemnation cases. He is now working to get the government to halt construction so that landowners won't be put at risk of being in contact with workers during this time.

"During the COVID-19 pandemic in the last month, month and a half, not only has border wall planning and construction work not slowed down in some places, in fact it has accelerated," he said.

In early March, he represented a 75-year-old man who had 15 surveyors for the border wall come to his property, in an effort to make preparations for the construction. Another one of his clients, a woman in her 60s, was also visited by a group of surveyors trying to make contact.

Olivares argues that these groups of workers, who weren't wearing any personal protective equipment, are endangering the lives of these older citizens who live in rural settings and do not have easy access to medical care.


"This virus has opened up a portal," Grijalva said. "And as you walk through it, we're seeing who's left behind. We're seeing where the relief is not reaching people."