Saturday, April 18, 2020
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona hit 4,719 as of Saturday, April 18, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 856 of the state’s confirmed cases.
The coronavirus had killed 177 people statewide, including 56 in Pima County, according to the report.
In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 2,491.
Because testing still lags in Arizona, health officials say those numbers undercount the number of people infected with the virus. The state is not yet releasing information about how many people who have tested positive have now recovered.
Walgreen's has begun offering COVID-19 drive-thru tests. For details on whether you can get one, click here.
Ducey this week announced a partnership with the University of Arizona to produce 250,000 tests for COVID-19 antibodies. Such tests could tell people if they have already been exposed to COVID-19, which is deadly to some patients while others remain asymptomatic. Testing for antibodies could identify people who are no longer at risk for catching COVID-19, although there have been reports of people coming down with the disease after beating it once. Ducey said the tests would go to healthcare workers and first responders.
Friday, April 17, 2020
The City of Tucson rolled out its new program using local hotels to provide shelter and isolation for the homeless population exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms or who are at high risk for contracting the disease.
The program currently has a total of 315 rooms split between two hotels. One hotel will have 115 rooms dedicated to the homeless already ill, while the second hotel will offer 200 rooms for those who may be at high-risk, such as the elderly homeless population, said Liz Morales, Director of City of Tucson’s Housing & Community Development Department.
“It has taken a lot of coordination but we are moving people from our shelters that are either symptomatic or at very high risk based on their age or underlying health conditions,” Morales said. “We have a screening tool that allows us to identify what category they meet, and then we move them based on that criteria.”
The program is funded through a $1.67 million Emergency Solutions Grant allocated from the city’s $44 million CARES Act package. ESG money is to be used to prevent and prepare for a potential coronavirus outbreak in Tucson’s homeless population, said Morales.
Robbins submitted a proposal to the Arizona Board of Regents that establishes the following measures: Employees earning $44,449 or less annually will be furloughed for 13 days, resulting in a 5 percent pay reduction. Those earning between $44,500 and $75,000 will be furloughed for 26 days, resulting in a 10 percent pay reduction. Those earning between $75,001 and $150,000 will be furloughed for 39 days, resulting in a 15 percent pay reduction.
"I know this situation is incredibly hard, and it makes it even more difficult to focus on our health and well-being during the pandemic," Robins wrote in his letter to the UA staff today.
The furloughs will not be taken all at once, but rather incrementally each pay period.
The university's highest paid employees, who earn more than $150,000 annually, will receive 17 to 20 percent pay cuts instead of being furloughed.
Pay reductions will be prorated for employees who do not work full-time.
On March 11, the university ended all in-person classes and switched to a fully digital curriculum.
In the letter, Robbins said the university has already put a halt to previously approved building projects to save $7 million, they halted their fiscal year 2020 strategic plan funding to save $22 million, and their recently established pause on hiring and job changes saves another $26 million.
Robbins said he and other senior vice presidents took "immediate pay cuts" in March.
UA leadership anticipate a loss of more than $66 million by the end of this fiscal year, ending on June 30. Their projections estimate a total loss of more than $250 million.
Tags: Coronavirus , COVID19 , University of Arizona , President Robert Robbins , Furlough , Pay Cuts , Image
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Galloway, 39, who had Down syndrome, was last seen more than a year ago, on March 21, 2019, in the 10600 block of West Massingale Road. Her remains were found in the desert area northeast of Anthony and Massingale roads on Feb. 12, 2020.
A hiker first found parts of leg bones and alerted the Pima County Sheriff’s Office. Law enforcement officials recovered additional skeletal remains “consistent in morphology and degree of weathering” to the arm bones. Galloway was later ID’d via dental records.
The search for Galloway lasted weeks, and included several local law enforcement agencies as well as the Department of Homeland Security.
No cause of death was determined and no obvious signs of trauma were found, though a forensic anthropology report indicates that postmortem animal activity took place (as determined by gnawed bones).
Before the COVID-19 emergency reached our community, a group of young women in the Unidas after-school program were working hard to provide grant money for a local organization that aims to improve quality of life for women and girls in Southern Arizona.
The group, made up of high school students and led by the Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona, quickly adapted their approach to distribute $500 "micro-grants" to several organizations that are helping with COVID-19 relief and support. The effort is now being called the "Unidas Emergency Relief Fund."
“The COVID-19 crisis shines a harsh light on the difficult reality that women and girls in the US face on a daily basis,” said Women’s Foundation CEO Amalia Luxardo in a press release. “Mothers are the primary breadwinners in over 40 percent of families, earn less than their male colleagues, and face inequity at every turn. Providing the essentials for their families is a struggle for many under normal circumstances, and this pandemic amplifies these challenges in a way we’ve never seen before.”
This year, that amount will be broken up into $500 amounts for a handful of organizations doing important work to prevent the variety of harmful effects that vulnerable groups can experience from the fallout of COVID-19.
The most recent recipients of their grant program were Arizona Justice for Our Neighbors and the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Arizona.
Tags: Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona , Unidas , COVID-19 , Grant , Micro-Grant , Image
In the age of COVID-19, college students all over the world are adapting to a new normal of online classes, shortened semesters and canceled graduations. As a college student myself, it has been difficult to come to terms with losing that typical college experience of being away from home and actively working towards a career. However, with this new obstacle, I’ve acquired a few new skills; learning to adapt to online classes and manage my time as well as stay focused long enough to complete my schoolwork is toughest.
Graduate student Eloy Ramirez, who was on track to graduate this semester with a master’s degree in musicology, is having a similar problem.
“As a musician there is a level of discomfort with playing my instrument to the fullest volume because I don't want to disturb the people I live with,” Ramirez said. “As a teaching assistant for a music class it’s also a challenge to play good quality music examples and administer listening exams online.”
Ramirez says he's grateful for his online classes.
“As a graduate student completing the last semester of my master's degree, cancelling classes would provide a bit more time to complete my thesis work,” Ramirez said, “But I really love what I am studying and I love teaching. Even if it is online, I am happy I am still able to attend my seminars and I am grateful to have the opportunity to attend school.”
At first, it seemed like we were just going to have an extended vacation. I got to stay home and watch movies and learn how to play guitar, but after a while, all the changes began to sink in. The University of Arizona’s reaction to the pandemic is a bittersweet one; I thought it was the right call to continue classes online since it would make me feel useful during this uncertain time, but as the days went by, it became harder to keep track of time—and therefore assignments—because I am easily distracted at home. And I'm not alone.
“It’s hard for me because I can’t withdraw from classes because it would ruin my FAFSA,” said Luis Espinoza, a junior at UA. “But I also can’t seem to get the hang of online classes which will inevitably ruin my GPA. It feels like a lose/lose situation.”
Life as we know it has also changed. Not only has our academic career changed, but I began to realize that there would be no more concerts, lectures or large school events.
Paulina Lopez, a UA senior set to graduate this May, was disappointed by the graduation cancellation.
“I was actually really sad to find out that there wasn’t going to be a ceremony this May,” said Lopez. “I obviously understand why there can’t be one and it’s in everyone’s best interest and for their safety, but it’s still upsetting because commencement is such a huge part of the college experience. In a way it’s kind of like the last four years are going unnoticed.”
On April 3, the UA stated their commencement team is "evaluating what a postponed main ceremony could look like in the future and preparing for the streaming graduation experience on May 15."
Ana Espinoza is a University of Arizona journalism student and Tucson Local Media intern.
Facing large projected losses in revenue due to COVID-19, the University of Arizona is taking steps to trim their budget.
"Over the next 15 months we anticipate a significant loss of revenue and expect to see increased expenses related to the effects of COVID-19," UA President Dr. Robert Robbins and other leaders said in an email to faculty and staff. "This is going to have profound impacts on how we successfully achieve our mission."
While the university is ramping up efforts to create thousands of COVID-19 testing kits, they are also expecting a drop in tuition revenue. If community spread of the virus is still significant in the beginning of the fall semester, international and out-of-state students likely will not return to campus.
In a conference call last Wednesday, Robbins told Tucson Weekly that 40 percent of the university's students are from outside Arizona, and about 15 percent are international students. He said they’re currently modeling what that hit in revenue could look like, but they are expecting "significant shortfalls."
UA leaders are urging faculty and staff to share their insights with the new Financial Sustainability Emergency Response Taskforce, which was created to determine the financial impact coming up and make recommendations for immediate and future cost-saving measures.
These changes are categorized into six areas where future changes could be made: Capital Projects, Debt & Investments; Intercollegiate Athletics; New Opportunities; Operational Efficiencies; Strategic Plan Investments; Students and Workforce.
New information from university leaders is expected in the coming weeks.
Tags: University of Arizona , Staff , Faculty , Revenue Loss , President Robert Robbins , Lisa Rulney , Employer , Image
“We know there’s an iceberg ahead, but won’t know how large until probably mid-June,” said Ward 6 Councilmember Steve Kozachik before the study session. “We need to budget assuming the Titanic and hope to be surprised.”
City Manager Michael Ortega confirmed sales tax from March 2020 through August 2020 will be impacted by the current shut-down. Ortega asked the council to delay the April 21 Manager’s Budget report until May 5 in an attempt to present more accurate information.
“Our sales tax delay is about two months. The March downturn we’re expecting, we won’t see that until May. The current April sales tax receipts, we won’t see that until June,” Ortega said. “We know it’s coming. It’s just going to be a function of what that magnitude looks like.”
However, Ortega said he is planing for city revenue streams to stabilize by fall 2020. He expects the recovery to begin in January 2021 with a 2 percent increase each month until the end of the fiscal year in July. Ortega also plans on decreasing the city’s expenses through fiscal 2021 in an attempt to “structurally balance” the budget.
Pima County had seen 700 of the state’s confirmed cases.
The coronavirus had killed 142 people statewide, including 34 in Pima County, according to the state and county health department.
In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 2,146.
Because testing still lags in Arizona, health officials say those numbers undercount the number of people infected with the virus. The state is not yet releasing information about how many people who have tested positive have now recovered.
Ducey yesterday announced a partnership with the University of Arizona to produce 250,000 tests for COVID-19 antibodies. Such tests could tell people if they have already been exposed to COVID-19, which is deadly to some patients while others remain asymptomatic. Testing for antibodies could identify people who are no longer at risk for catching COVID-19, although there have been reports of people coming down with the disease after beating it once.
Ducey said the tests would go to healthcare workers and first responders.
“Antibody testing is not a cure-all, but learning more about it is an important step to identifying community exposure, helping us make decisions about how we protect our citizens, and getting us to the other side of this pandemic more quickly,” Ducey said in a prepared statement. “Our health care workers and first responders are on the front lines, and my top priority is to identify ways to protect them and I am eager to get this underway.”
The state remains under Ducey’s stay-at-home order that has closed a wide number of “non-essential” businesses, including many retail stores, barbershops, salons and swap meets. Public parks remain open but amenities such as playgrounds and restrooms are closed.
