Thursday, June 4, 2020
NOW Arizona Gov @dougducey says there’s no trend on this bar graph showing rising CV cases. AZ No.3 in US for case spike over last week. #12News pic.twitter.com/gVB02KMVz3
— BrahmResnik (@brahmresnik) June 4, 2020
Gov. Doug Ducey said the current rise in COVID-19 cases and emergency room visits was expected when he lifted the states's stay-at-home order on May 15.
Ducey and Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ said at a press conference today that they anticipated the current increase in positive COVID-19 cases because testing has “dramatically increased” within the state.
Christ reported 8,227 staff and residents in skilled nursing facilities across Arizona have been tested for the virus. They expect to have tests done at all of these facilities by June 11.
She downplayed the alarm about the recent increase in cases, which some have attributed to the end of the stay-at-home order on May 15, saying “as people come back together, we know there will be transmissions of COVID-19.”
While they admitted new cases are to be expected when people begin to interact again, Ducey and Christ said their main focus was to ensure that hospitals had capacity for an increase in cases. They reported that current use of hospital beds, ICU beds and ventilators are all within capacity at this time.
“The fact that we were going to focus on having more tests means we were going to have more cases,” Ducey said. “We anticipated that. What we wanted to do was to be prepared for this.”
When a reporter asked if the state was willing to sacrifice people’s health in order to reopen the economy, Ducey said they mourn “every death in the state of Arizona,” and that every decision they made since the beginning of the pandemic has been to protect and save lives.
Christ and Ducey said they are focused on being able to care for the populations that are most vulnerable: those who are over 60 years old and/or have compromising medical conditions.
“We’re continuously monitoring the hospital capacity,” Christ said. “We are not in a crisis standard of care protocol right now. I don't think it will be a specific percentage that will trigger that, but looking at the totality of the data.”
Christ said there is currently a lag in the testing data, and they anticipate to see if the new cases are coming from the places specifically targeted with testing, or if it is simply community spread. As of right now, they don’t know the answer.
Ducey opened his weekly press conference by calling the death of George Floyd an “American tragedy.”
Floyd, a black man, was killed in Minnesota on Memorial Day when a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes over suspicion of a forged check. He was unarmed.
His death has sparked protests, both peaceful and destructive, across the nation. Arizona’s protests last week prompted the governor to order a statewide 8 p.m. curfew.
Ducey said he had a discussion with African American leaders this past Sunday, which produced a list of “deliverables” that he hopes to see enacted through the legislature or other avenues.
The governor also thanked law enforcement officers for protecting against the small group of people who rioted in major cities last weekend.
“Arizona will not confuse peaceful protestors and demonstrators with looters and rioters,” Ducey said. “We will maintain peace and order to respect George Floyd’s memory.”
Colonel Heston Silbert with the Arizona Department of Public Safety said he had seen “nothing as horrific and tragic as what happened to George Floyd.” He said the people who rioted and destroyed property “hijacked the cause,” and now with the governor’s curfew in place, people are peacefully protesting in 100+ degree weather.
“They care about his cause, they care about what's going on, they care about the improvement, and we care,” Silbert said. “We understand that we’re only as strong as the violations that one person commits. We all have to answer for that, but if improvement comes from that, I hope for better days ahead.”
He said police reform and accountability has grown “leaps and bounds” since the Rodney King riots in 1992. When asked about the recent death of Phoenix resident Dion Johnson, a black man who was killed by a DPS officer who found him asleep in his car on the side of the road, Silbert said there is currently an internal and external investigation going on.
He told the press the name of the officer would not be released at this time because of a policy that precludes them from doing so.
Democratic state lawmakers have requested that Gov. Ducey include legislation about law enforcement reform in his plans for an emergency session. When asked about this at the press conference, Ducey said he will work with legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle and that his January agenda previously called for funding of body cameras for all Department of Public Safety officers to wear.
“I believe there are things we can do in Arizona from training to diversity of our law enforcement officers to how we interact with the citizen,” Ducey said. “I think there's a lot that can be done.”
Floyd, a black man, was killed in Minnesota on Memorial Day when a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes over suspicion of a forged check. He was unarmed.
His death has sparked protests, both peaceful and destructive, across the nation. Arizona’s protests last week prompted the governor to order a statewide 8 p.m. curfew.
Ducey said he had a discussion with African American leaders this past Sunday, which produced a list of “deliverables” that he hopes to see enacted through the legislature or other avenues.
The governor also thanked law enforcement officers for protecting against the small group of people who rioted in major cities last weekend.
“Arizona will not confuse peaceful protestors and demonstrators with looters and rioters,” Ducey said. “We will maintain peace and order to respect George Floyd’s memory.”
Colonel Heston Silbert with the Arizona Department of Public Safety said he had seen “nothing as horrific and tragic as what happened to George Floyd.” He said the people who rioted and destroyed property “hijacked the cause,” and now with the governor’s curfew in place, people are peacefully protesting in 100+ degree weather.
“They care about his cause, they care about what's going on, they care about the improvement, and we care,” Silbert said. “We understand that we’re only as strong as the violations that one person commits. We all have to answer for that, but if improvement comes from that, I hope for better days ahead.”
He said police reform and accountability has grown “leaps and bounds” since the Rodney King riots in 1992. When asked about the recent death of Phoenix resident Dion Johnson, a black man who was killed by a DPS officer who found him asleep in his car on the side of the road, Silbert said there is currently an internal and external investigation going on.
He told the press the name of the officer would not be released at this time because of a policy that precludes them from doing so.
Democratic state lawmakers have requested that Gov. Ducey include legislation about law enforcement reform in his plans for an emergency session. When asked about this at the press conference, Ducey said he will work with legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle and that his January agenda previously called for funding of body cameras for all Department of Public Safety officers to wear.
“I believe there are things we can do in Arizona from training to diversity of our law enforcement officers to how we interact with the citizen,” Ducey said. “I think there's a lot that can be done.”
Tags: COVID19 , Coronavirus , Protest , George Floyd , Police , Curfew , Doug Ducey , Cara Christ , Image
Starting in on the downswing of the week, let's take a look at the stories we covered for you today.
- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 22,753 as of Wednesday, June 3, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. That's a jump of 530 from yesterday and a total of 2,600 new cases in the last three days.
- More than 1,000 Tucsonans attended a rally held by March For Justice Tucson, a group founded and run by young Black women, on the University of Arizona mall, in front of Old Main, on Wednesday, June 3.
- Tucson Weekly asked the candidates running for Board of Supervisors seats this year if they approved of those decisions and if they would have done anything differently. Here's what the District 4 candidates had to say.
- When Amira Chowdhury joined a protest in Philadelphia against police violence on Monday, she wore a mask to protect herself and others against the coronavirus. But when officers launched tear gas into the crowd, Chowdhury pulled off her mask as she gasped for air. “I couldn’t breathe,” she said. “I felt like I was choking to death.”
- As the summer heat rolls in, people start looking for ways to cool off. Marana residents can add the town’s splash pads to their list of activities starting this Saturday—as long as everything goes to plan.
- Puzzle of the Day: Can You Spot the Pattern?
- With the Republican National Committee actively seeking new homes for its August convention, some in Arizona are angling for the state to get in line with the long list of other potential suitors.
- If there’s a hole in your heart yearning for live music, look no further than The Gaslight Music Hall’s upcoming drive-in concerts—tickets for which are still available now. Even better, the Oro Valley venue has three shows booked next week.
Courtesy photo
The George Howard Band is performing Tuesday, June 9 at the Gaslight Music Hall in Oro Valley.
Performing Tuesday, June 9 is the George Howard Motown Band. Backroads Country Band takes the stage Wednesday, June 10, and Rock & Roll with Vinyl Tap! closes out the week Thursday, June 11. All shows begin at 7 p.m.
The ongoing drive-in concert series is the Gaslight’s way of keeping their customers entertained (and their employees working) during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to general manager Heather Stricker.
“Tony Terry, owner of The Gaslight Music Hall, loved the idea of outdoor concerts. Once the sun goes down, the weather is beautiful and the parking lot is full of live, awesome music,” Stricker said. “We knew we would have to cancel our Dance Parties for the summer to abide with the social distancing requirements, so we have invited a lot of our dance bands to come perform in this drive-in concert series. We feature different genres of music every week, there is always something for everybody.”
With the Republican National Committee actively seeking new homes for its August convention, some in Arizona are angling for the state to get in line with the long list of other potential suitors.
The RNC may still hold part of the convention in Charlotte – or it may not – as officials there say lingering COVID-19 concerns may limit convention crowd sizes. But it is looking for a new city to host President Donald Trump’s acceptance speech, after Trump took to Twitter recently to criticize possible crowd limits.
Several states have mounted bids to land part or all of the convention, but some Arizona Republicans are asking, why not here?
“How fitting would it be for President Trump to once again become our party’s nominee for president?” asked Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward in an opinion piece in Tuesday’s Arizona Republic. She said the RNC should “consider this an invitation to hold the nominating convention in the great state of Arizona.”
But the state would have to beat out at least three other states – four, if you count North Carolina, which is still in talks for part of the convention – for the late August event.
The scramble began last week when Trump tweeted that the party would be “forced to find” another city if North Carolina officials could not guarantee that the nominating hall could be fully occupied.
Party officials proposed strict testing and screening of convention-goers, but no limits on numbers, and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said last week that the state would not “sacrifice the health and safety of North Carolinians,” according to news reports.
The RNC may still hold part of the convention in Charlotte – or it may not – as officials there say lingering COVID-19 concerns may limit convention crowd sizes. But it is looking for a new city to host President Donald Trump’s acceptance speech, after Trump took to Twitter recently to criticize possible crowd limits.
Several states have mounted bids to land part or all of the convention, but some Arizona Republicans are asking, why not here?
“How fitting would it be for President Trump to once again become our party’s nominee for president?” asked Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward in an opinion piece in Tuesday’s Arizona Republic. She said the RNC should “consider this an invitation to hold the nominating convention in the great state of Arizona.”
But the state would have to beat out at least three other states – four, if you count North Carolina, which is still in talks for part of the convention – for the late August event.
The scramble began last week when Trump tweeted that the party would be “forced to find” another city if North Carolina officials could not guarantee that the nominating hall could be fully occupied.
Party officials proposed strict testing and screening of convention-goers, but no limits on numbers, and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said last week that the state would not “sacrifice the health and safety of North Carolinians,” according to news reports.
NOW Arizona Gov @dougducey says there’s no trend on this bar graph showing rising CV cases. AZ No.3 in US for case spike over last week. #12News pic.twitter.com/gVB02KMVz3
— BrahmResnik (@brahmresnik) June 4, 2020
As the summer heat rolls in, people start looking for ways to cool off. Marana residents can add the town’s splash pads to their list of activities starting this Saturday—as long as everything goes to plan.
“It will be a little bit of wait and see as to how things work out,” Town Manager Jamsheed Mehta told the town council at its June 2 meeting. “We are dealing with small children here who may or may not understand how to—what the protocols are—and based on the best observations that we can make we will try to adjust things so that we can keep kids safe and everything can run smoothly according to plan.”
Marana operates splash pads at Heritage River Park, 12280 N. Heritage Park Drive, and Crossroads at Silverbell District Park, 7458 N. Silverbell Road. There is also a public pool at Ora Mae Harn District Park, 12350 N. Lon Adams Road.
“It will be a little bit of wait and see as to how things work out,” Town Manager Jamsheed Mehta told the town council at its June 2 meeting. “We are dealing with small children here who may or may not understand how to—what the protocols are—and based on the best observations that we can make we will try to adjust things so that we can keep kids safe and everything can run smoothly according to plan.”
Marana operates splash pads at Heritage River Park, 12280 N. Heritage Park Drive, and Crossroads at Silverbell District Park, 7458 N. Silverbell Road. There is also a public pool at Ora Mae Harn District Park, 12350 N. Lon Adams Road.
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When Amira Chowdhury joined a protest in Philadelphia against police violence on Monday, she wore a mask to protect herself and others against the coronavirus. But when officers launched tear gas into the crowd, Chowdhury pulled off her mask as she gasped for air. “I couldn’t breathe,” she said. “I felt like I was choking to death.”
Chowdhury was on a part of the Vine Street Expressway that ran underground. Everyone panicked as gas drifted into the dark, semi-enclosed space, she said. People stomped over her as they scrambled away. Bruised, she scaled a fence to escape. But the tear gas found her later that evening, inside her own house; as police unleashed it on protesters in her predominantly black neighborhood in West Philadelphia, it seeped in.
“I can’t even be in my own house without escaping the violence of the state,” said Chowdhury, a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania. On Wednesday, she said her throat still felt dry, like it was clogged with ash.
When Amira Chowdhury joined a protest in Philadelphia against police violence on Monday, she wore a mask to protect herself and others against the coronavirus. But when officers launched tear gas into the crowd, Chowdhury pulled off her mask as she gasped for air. “I couldn’t breathe,” she said. “I felt like I was choking to death.”
Chowdhury was on a part of the Vine Street Expressway that ran underground. Everyone panicked as gas drifted into the dark, semi-enclosed space, she said. People stomped over her as they scrambled away. Bruised, she scaled a fence to escape. But the tear gas found her later that evening, inside her own house; as police unleashed it on protesters in her predominantly black neighborhood in West Philadelphia, it seeped in.
“I can’t even be in my own house without escaping the violence of the state,” said Chowdhury, a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania. On Wednesday, she said her throat still felt dry, like it was clogged with ash.
The Pima County Board of Supervisors has taken several steps in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Pima County, including voting on March 19 to close down all nonessential businesses, and later when the state reopened the economy, voting to implement and then revise new health regulations for restaurants and bars offering dine-in service once again.
The board’s decisions have been met with some criticism across the political spectrum, with some critics saying the county has not done enough and others saying it has gone too far, according to Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.
Democratic supervisors Ramon Valadez, Sharon Bronson and Betty Villegas said they voted for the regulations to ensure public safety, while Republicans Steve Christy and Ally Miller say the new rules make it harder for beleaguered businesses to reopen. At the request of three GOP lawmakers, Attorney General Mark Brnovich investigated whether the county exceeded its legal authority by enacting the regulations but the AG’s Office dismissed the case on a legal technicality.
Tucson Weekly asked the candidates running for Board of Supervisors seats this year if they approved of those decisions and if they would have done anything differently. Here's what the District 4 candidates had to say.
In District 4, which includes eastern Pima County as well as Green Valley and Sahuarita, Supervisor Steve Christy is seeking a second term and facing a challenge from John Backer in the GOP primary. The winner of that race will face Democrat Steve Diamond in November in the Republican-leaning district.
Christy voted against the closure of nonessential businesses back in March. He believes there are ways to promote public safety precautions while also allowing businesses to operate
.Christy said the county’s actions were “excessive in their force and in their meaning” and that there was no attempt by the health department or the county as a whole to “proactively engage” with businesses and find ways to keep them open while also protecting public health.
The board’s decisions have been met with some criticism across the political spectrum, with some critics saying the county has not done enough and others saying it has gone too far, according to Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.
Pima County Supervisor Steve Christy: “Certainly if a big box store like Walmart with its hundreds of thousands of square feet and hundreds of employees and thousands of customers going through on a weekly if not daily basis, certainly a mom-and-pop restaurant with a 30 or 40 seating capacity in a dining room can replicate similar safety features and operations to allow them to remain in business."
Tucson Weekly asked the candidates running for Board of Supervisors seats this year if they approved of those decisions and if they would have done anything differently. Here's what the District 4 candidates had to say.
In District 4, which includes eastern Pima County as well as Green Valley and Sahuarita, Supervisor Steve Christy is seeking a second term and facing a challenge from John Backer in the GOP primary. The winner of that race will face Democrat Steve Diamond in November in the Republican-leaning district.
Christy voted against the closure of nonessential businesses back in March. He believes there are ways to promote public safety precautions while also allowing businesses to operate
.Christy said the county’s actions were “excessive in their force and in their meaning” and that there was no attempt by the health department or the county as a whole to “proactively engage” with businesses and find ways to keep them open while also protecting public health.
More than 1,000 Tucsonans attended a rally held by March For Justice Tucson, a group founded and run by young Black women, on the University of Arizona mall, in front of Old Main, on Wednesday, June 3.
The peaceful event was an opportunity for Black members of the community to share their personal experiences with racism and create a healing space in the wake of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black Americans.
The event was filled with stories of struggle and calls to action to confront racists coworkers, family members and friends, defund police departments, abolish prisons, and destroy and rebuild racist institutions.
The peaceful event was an opportunity for Black members of the community to share their personal experiences with racism and create a healing space in the wake of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black Americans.
The event was filled with stories of struggle and calls to action to confront racists coworkers, family members and friends, defund police departments, abolish prisons, and destroy and rebuild racist institutions.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 22,753 as of Thursday, June 4, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. That's a jump of 530 from yesterday and a total of 2,600 new cases in the last three days.
Pima County had 2,669 confirmed cases.
The coronavirus had killed 996 people statewide, including 202 in Pima County, according to the report.
In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases hit 11,229.
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, especially if you have underlying health conditions, and have advised people to cover their faces with masks in public.
• Following the end of Gov. Doug Ducey's stay-at-home order on March 15, Arizona hospitals are seeing a rise in the number of people hospitalized with COVID symptoms, as well as more people visiting emergency rooms. Today's Arizona Department of Health Services report shows that through yesterday, 1,079 Arizonans were hospitalized. A total of 638 people arrived at emergency rooms with COVID-like symptoms on June 3, according to the report.
Pima County had 2,669 confirmed cases.
The coronavirus had killed 996 people statewide, including 202 in Pima County, according to the report.
In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases hit 11,229.
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, especially if you have underlying health conditions, and have advised people to cover their faces with masks in public.
• Following the end of Gov. Doug Ducey's stay-at-home order on March 15, Arizona hospitals are seeing a rise in the number of people hospitalized with COVID symptoms, as well as more people visiting emergency rooms. Today's Arizona Department of Health Services report shows that through yesterday, 1,079 Arizonans were hospitalized. A total of 638 people arrived at emergency rooms with COVID-like symptoms on June 3, according to the report.
