Ducey: Local governments can implement their own COVID-19 mask policies
AZPM
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced Wednesday that local governments could implement their own mask policies and enforcement to help slow the spread of surging COVID-19 cases, removing a barrier to local control that his office had put in place.
The change is one that several mayors in the state had been requesting, with Tucson's Regina Romero instructing the city to start making the change before the governor's announcement.
The briefing comes amid national attention on Arizona's rising COVID-19 numbers, with the state frequently breaking records in recent days for single-day reports of cases and hospitalizations.
Cases surge in Arizona's border counties
AZPM
Arizona is seeing more COVID-19 cases statewide, but two small counties along the US-Mexico border are seeing particularly troubling trends.
In the last month, Santa Cruz county has reported over 1,500 new cases and Yuma County has reported more than 3,000. That’s a stark change from numbers those areas have seen in the past — Santa Cruz County had just 69 cases when Gov. Ducey lifted the stay at home order on May 15. Yuma County had 310.
Gary Nabhan, an agricultural ecologist and a research social scientist at the University of Arizona, said these are agricultural hubs for the state and the country. Produce is harvested in farmland near Yuma and it's packed and delivered through the border in Nogales.
Rise in coronavirus cases keeps pressure on UA lab
AZPM
Demand for coronavirus test kits continues to increase for a University of Arizona lab that started producing thousands of kits in March.
The UA Health Sciences Biorepository stepped up to address the lack of testing when the virus began spreading through Arizona. Biorepository director David Harris has monitored the test results over the past three months. He reported the percentage of people who currently have the virus has increased due to more community spread of COVID-19.
"It's not the fact we're doing more testing, because then the percentages wouldn't change. There are more people who have the virus and are more infectious," Harris said.
DACA recipient in Tucson released by ICE
AZPM
An immunocompromised Tucson resident risked being put into a federal immigration detention facility this week, as COVID-19 cases continue to climb across Arizona detention facilities.
Brayann Lucero has lived in Tucson since he was 2 years old. He is one of almost 700,000 young immigrants to receive work permit and temporary protection from deportation as a recipient of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.
But his status expired in May. His oldest sibling, Jesus, said Lucero was in the middle of renewing his DACA status when Immigration and Customs Enforcement asked him to check in to a field office in Tucson.
Learn more about Lucero's story here.
Support for black-owned businesses a lifeline amid pandemic
AZPM
The movement to support black-owned businesses is driving much-needed demand to small companies hit hard by the pandemic, with as many as 40% of black-owned businesses not expected to survive the pandemic.
LaToya McCord bakes custom cakes for weddings, anniversaries and other occasions. She said she's received at least 15 inquiries for custom cakes since adding her company, Love Always Cakes, to a list of black-owned businesses circulating on social media.
The list was compiled and promoted by Blax Friday, a collective of black business owners and creatives. In the wake of the death of George Floyd and other black people at the hands of police nationwide, many are seeking to support black-owned businesses.
Increased COVID-19 hospitalizations in Arizona could cut into the standard of care
AZPM
Experts say if Arizona hospitals are forced to use their surge capacity to deal with rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, care could suffer.
Since June 9, the portion of regular hospital beds available in Arizona has been less than 20%, according to data from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Gov. Doug Ducey and other state officials said that number is not a concern because in March, Arizona hospitals were ordered to come up with plans to increase their capacity by 50%.
Some in the health care industry said surge capacity is important but it comes with a price to the standard of care.
Crews on Arizona wildfires contend with wind-driven flames
AP
FLAGSTAFF — Firefighters battling large wildfires across Arizona grappled with high wind that drove flames across rugged terrain amid hot and dry weather.
About a half-dozen rural communities remained under evacuation notices Wednesday near Tucson in Southern Arizona, north of the Grand Canyon and in east-central Arizona. Hundreds of firefighters are assigned to each blaze.
Weather forecasters say the fires are on par for this time of year. The winds have been a key factor in driving up the size of the blazes that are threatening homes, state highways and popular recreation spots.
Northern Arizona University implements pay cuts, flex time
AP
FLAGSTAFF— University officials say about 60% of employees at Northern Arizona University will take a pay reduction starting July 1 to meet a $100 million budget shortfall, a couple weeks after some faculty and staff were laid off.
University President Rita Cheng told employees the university needs to cut an additional $6 million in response to the revenue shortfall. The Arizona Daily Sun reported that all employees earning more than $50,000 annually will be affected and will see a change in their paychecks beginning July 31. Depending on salaries, employees will take between a 2.3% and 4.6% pay cut and up to 10 days of flex time.
Read more at the Arizona Daily Sun.
Navajo resumes weekend lockdowns as Arizona virus cases rise
AP
WINDOW ROCK — The Navajo Nation is planning more weekend lockdowns because of coronavirus cases that are increasing off the reservation, most notably in Arizona.
Tribal President Jonathan Nez made the announcement Tuesday in a virtual town hall. He cited Arizona, which hit an alarmingly high new daily number of cases, in urging people to stay home. He says a second surge on the reservation would put enormous pressure on its health care system and workers.
Residents of the Navajo Nation are still under daily nighttime curfews. Businesses will be closed during the weekend lockdown that starts at sundown Friday and ends at sunrise Monday. Tribal police have been citing people for violating the lockdowns.
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