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Ducey extends medical licenses, key to virus emergency end

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey re-delivers his State of the State address in front of a Yuma crowd Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022 inside Pivot Point Conference Center. Ducey has signed legislation on Friday, March 25, 2022, that will prevent temporary medical licenses issued under his coronavirus executive orders from immediately becoming invalid if he ends the state of emergency he issued two years ago.
Randy Hoeft/The Yuma Sun via AP
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey re-delivers his State of the State address in front of a Yuma crowd Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022 inside Pivot Point Conference Center. Ducey has signed legislation on Friday, March 25, 2022, that will prevent temporary medical licenses issued under his coronavirus executive orders from immediately becoming invalid if he ends the state of emergency he issued two years ago.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has signed legislation to ensure medical licenses issued under his coronavirus executive orders stay valid if he ends the state of emergency.

Republican lawmakers said last week that extending the licenses will allow the Republican governor to end the state of emergency in place for the past two years.

He said earlier this week that he’s working on administrative issues that must be done before the emergency can officially end.

Friday’s action extends temporary licenses issued to doctors, nurses and other professionals since the governor first issued a state of emergency on March 11, 2020. They will be valid until the end of the year.