More than 600 health care providers statewide have signed a letter to Governor Doug Ducey urging him to mandate the wearing of face masks in public. The request comes as Arizona now leads the nation in new coronavirus cases.
Tuesday, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported nearly 2,400 new cases of coronavirus and 25 additional known deaths, nearly double the previous high daily rate of infection. Though Governor Ducey has encouraged people to wear masks in public, he has not issued a mandate. Ducey says the high numbers were expected and are mainly attributed to increased testing statewide. He maintains that state health care facilities can handle the patient case load.
The letter says that since the state reopened, people statewide are ignoring recommendations to wear face masks and seem to feel it's safe to resume normal life during the pandemic. The letter asks Governor Ducey to mandate mask wearing in public to help slow the spread of the virus and keep health care facilities from being overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients.
Dr. Susan Hughes, one of the author's of the letter, told ABC15 she hasn't seen anyone in the governor's office wearing a mask and that Ducey's actions "are not living up to his words."
