Arizona on Wednesday reported 3,234 additional COVID-19 cases and 10 more virus deaths as the state’s rolling averages for cases and deaths continued to climb during the current surge.
Updated pandemic totals were not immediately available because the Department of Health Services’ coronavirus dashboard was down for maintenance. The dashboard on Tuesday reported 991,309 cases and 18,638 deaths.
Arizona’s seven-day rolling average of daily new cases rose over the past two weeks from 2,495 new cases on Aug. 9 to 2,969 on Aug. 23 while the rolling average of daily deaths rose from 16.9 deaths to 24.4 during the same period. according to Johns Hopkins University data.
In other developments:
— A judge on Wednesday scheduled a Sept. 13 hearing to hear arguments in a lawsuit that seeks to overturn new Arizona laws restricting the power of local governments and school districts to impose COVID-19 requirements.
A coalition of educators, parents, and advocates for children filed the lawsuit.
At least 28 public school districts have enacted their own mask requirements. The districts account for more than 327,000 students and nearly 490 schools.
— Four members of a Phoenix-area school board that last week imposed a mask-wearing mandate until late September could face recall elections.
The two residents who launched recall drives targeting the four Scottsdale Unified School District board members who voted for the requirement cited it in their filings Monday to begin petition drives to collect voter signatures.
Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
