Arizona topped 3,000 deaths from the coronavirus Thursday as Gov. Doug Ducey faces a deadline to decide whether bars and gyms he ordered to close again a month ago can reopen safely.
The state Health Services Department reported 89 new deaths, bringing the statewide total since the outbreak began to 3,063. More than 1,000 of those deaths have been reported in the past 15 days.
The state now has 152,944 confirmed virus cases, with an additional 2,335 reported Thursday. The number of actual infections in Arizona and elsewhere is thought to be much higher because many people have not been tested. Studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
Ducey ordered bars and gyms to close again on June 29 for at least a month as a surge in cases erupted in the weeks after he allowed a six-week stay-home order to expire in mid-May. The rise in cases made Arizona into a national hot spot and forced the governor to rethink his reopening orders.
Ducey is expected to announce what he will do about the bar and gym closures at a news briefing Thursday afternoon. He could extend the order, modify it, or let it expire.
He’s also likely to announce decisions on school reopenings. He has ordered schools to delay in-person classes until mid-August and is under pressure from both people who want schools open and those who believe it is not safe to do so.
Despite Thursday’s milestone for deaths, an Arizona State University researcher said Wednesday that it is becoming clear that cases have plateaued in the state. That said, Dr. Joshua LaBaer of the ASU Biodesign Institute said the level is much too high to ease up on restrictions, especially bar closures.
LaBaer also said any reopening of schools will need to be done carefully with precautions worked out by each district. School officials across the state have worked for months on reopening plans that remain fluid as Arizona remains a virus hot spot.
But he said it is clear students need in-person instruction.
In other developments: — Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone’s office confirmed that inmates started a disturbance last week at jail over their frustrations with COVID-19 prevention measures as they were being moved into and out of jail pods.
Seven inmates in the Saguaro Jail refused orders to return to their beds during the July 13 disturbance, leading detention officers to launch pepper balls, the agency said.
Agency spokeswoman Norma Gutierrez said one inmate threw a chair and water bottle, but neither was in the direction of detention officers. “At no time have inmates taken control of any area of the Saguaro Jail or physically attack staff,” Gutierrez said.
Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
