The Arizona governor ordered the closure of bars, cinemas, gyms, and water parks, in a dramatic move that echoed similar efforts by states across the country to reverse plans to reopen.
Republican Governor Doug Ducey’s order came Monday and went into effect immediately, and will last at least 30 days. Ducey also ordered public schools to delay the start of classes until at least August 17.
“Our expectation is that our numbers next week will be worse,” he said.
Arizona health officials reported 3,858 more confirmed coronavirus cases on Sunday, the most reported in a single day in the state so far and the seventh time in the past 10 days that daily cases exceeded the 3,000 mark. Since the pandemic began, 74,500 cases and 1,588 deaths from the virus have been reported in Arizona.
Most Arizona bars and nightclubs opened after Ducey’s closing orders to stay home and close his business expired in mid-May.
The state is not alone in its investment. Places like Texas, Florida and California are backing down, closing beaches and bars in some cases amid a resurgence of the virus. Meanwhile, Oregon and Kansas announced Monday that everyone would be required to wear masks in public.
In California over the weekend, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered bars and nightclubs to be closed in nine counties, including Los Angeles, which has nearly 100,000 cases, most of any region in the state.
The state is in the midst of trying to “alternate” plans to reopen as case numbers and hospitalizations erupt in sections of the state. Red flags have been raised on a number of metrics, including “disturbing trend lines” in ICU positivity, hospitalizations, and admissions rates.
Particularly affected is Imperial County in southern California, where an outbreak is taxing the region’s hospital system. In recent weeks, health officials have had to move approximately 500 patients to neighboring regions, which also affects their hospital systems.
Newsom has urged Imperial County to reissue a previously lifted stay-at-home order, and on Monday leveled off the threat of a heavier hand if the county decided not to follow the advice.
Meanwhile, in Texas, a group of bar owners sued Monday to try to overturn Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to close their businesses. They argue that Abbott does not have the authority and complained that other businesses, such as nail salons and tattoo studios, remain open.
Ducey has faced criticism for what his fellow lawmakers see as a lack of reaction to the severity of the crisis. A letter sent by Democratic congressman Rubén Gallego in mid-June rebuked the governor for failing to highlight the “seriousness of the growing public health emergency facing our state.”
While Ducey has urged Arizonans to stay away from each other in public, he refused to issue a state order to wear masks and, until recently, resisted calls from some cities to allow them to require masks.
The move also comes less than a week after Donald Trump visited the Arizona-Mexico border and held a rally in Phoenix in which few people wore masks.
.
