Governor Doug Ducey announced today the state will extend the closure of gyms, bars, nightclubs, and waterparks indefinitely in the midst of the pandemic. Ducey credited the closures with a recent downward trend in new COVID-19 cases and also thanked local mayors and country supervisors for passing mask mandates, which now cover nearly 90 percent of the state.
Ducey said disease metrics in Arizona are “headed in the right direction,” with downward trends in daily new cases and COVID patients in ICU beds. The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests has dropped from a high of 21 percent to 14 percent. Ducey said that number is still too high and urged Arizonans to continue to wear masks, wash hands, and stay home when possible.
Ducey and Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman announced the upcoming school year will include options for both in-person and online instruction, and that schools will be required to develop face-covering policies. Ducey pledge additional funding to schools and said the Arizona Department of Health Services will develop benchmarks to determine reopening dates.
