Arizona COVID-19 cumulative counts, Dec. 14
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Select regional and national coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak as of Friday afternoon, April 3. For more coverage, visit our resource page. This story may be updated.
Ducey orders barber shops, nail salons to close following criticism
AZPM, April 3
After facing criticism over his list of essential services that were allowed to stay open during the coronavirus pandemic, Governor Doug Ducey Friday told barber shops, nail salons and similar businesses to close by 5 pm tomorrow.
The clarification of Ducey's executive order from last month also lists tanning salons, tattoo parlors, spas and massage parlors as businesses now officially ordered to stay closed until the all-clear is given.
The governor's statement also closes any amenities at public parks that "do not allow for recommended physical distancing or proper hygiene." That includes things like basketball courts and splash pads.
Communal pools at parks, hotels and apartments are also ordered to close, but regular maintenance must continue.
Arizona health care workers prepare for the worst
AZPM, April 3
She had a cough and shortness of breath — symptoms commonly associated with heart failure.
But when the woman arrived at the Tucson cardiology clinic, Jenna Edwards gave her a face mask. Edwards soon discovered the woman had a fever and had been around someone who returned from China.
This was the first of several close calls Edwards says she has had with the new coronavirus. As an essential health care worker, she can’t shelter in place like the rest of her family and worries she’s exposing them to whatever she’s exposed to.
“Everybody that I know comes home and strips their clothes in the garage,” she said. “We have never felt this level of stress. We're not sleeping through the night. It's like nothing I've ever seen.”
Groups look to fill Spanish-language gap around COVID-19
AZPM, April 3
There's lots of information right now about the COVID-19 pandemic, and it's not all easy to understand. And it's more complicated for the more than 1 million Arizonans who speak Spanish at home.
“I know that there’s been a lot of young people trying to really understand very complicated terms like 'social distancing' and trying to translate that to their parents on the spot,” said Reyna Montoya, CEO and founder of an aid group in Mesa called Aliento.
The group usually works to support mixed immigration status families, undocumented people and recipients of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
In the wake of COVID-19, her group has become a bridge, reaching out to the Latino community when official Spanish information falls short. Aliento posts bilingual updates on social media. Community radio stations and Spanish news channels have also helped fill the gap.
Face coverings recommended, but Trump says he won't wear one
AP, April 3
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has announced new federal guidelines recommending that Americans wear face coverings when in public.
The president immediately said he had no intention of following the advice himself. He says, “I’m choosing not to do it.” The guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control encourage people, especially in areas hit hard by the spread of the coronavirus, to use rudimentary coverings like T-shirts, bandannas and non-medical masks to cover their faces while outdoors.
The new guidance raises concern that it could cause a sudden run on masks if Americans turn to private industry to meet the expected surge in demand.
Pandemic threatens hospital in Green Valley as patient visits decrease
AZPM, April 3
While many hospitals around the country are straining to deal with a flood of coronavirus patients, one facility in Green Valley is struggling to survive a lack of patients.
Santa Cruz Valley Regional Hospital has struggled since opening in 2015 as Green Valley Hospital. After the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic, Gov. Doug Ducey ordered hospitals to postpone elective procedures, and SCVRH says its patient visits dropped by 40% as residents sought to avoid possible COVID-19 exposure. As a result, Santa Cruz CEO Kelly Adams claims his facility is potentially a few weeks away from having to close its doors.
Trump admin tries to narrow stockpile's role for states
AP, April 3
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration abruptly changed its description of the Strategic National Stockpile and put forward a narrower vision of the role the federal government’s repository of life-saving medicines and equipment should play in supplying states’ needs.
The change conforms with President Donald Trump’s insistence that it is only a short-term backup for states, not a commitment to ensure supplies get quickly to those who need them most during an emergency. The change was reflected on government websites on Friday. It came a day after Trump son-in-law and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner offered a new argument about the stockpile.
Yaqui tribe restricts attendance at cuaresma ceremonies
AZPM, April 3
Every year the Pascua Yaqui Tribe celebrates cuaresma, or Lent, but this year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic tribal leaders have decided to restrict who can attend the festivities
According to a press release, ceremonial leaders who represent five different communities in the tribe say this year only "cultural participants" will be allowed onto the grounds.
The chairman of the tribe, Robert Valencia, said in an interview Thursday the leaders were still deciding how to encourage people to stay at home during the outbreak and observe tradition.
Small business relief program launches, hits snags
AP, April 3
NEW YORK (AP) — The federal government’s $349 billion relief program for small businesses got off to a rocky start Friday as hundreds of thousands tried to apply for desperately needed loans.
Many small business owners ran into bureaucratic or technological road blocks. Others discovered their bank wasn’t yet prepared to accept applications. A major trade group for small businesses complained that too many of its members were “shut out” from getting loans.
Still, some did succeed in at least getting the process started. The Small Business Administration said it had approved more than 12,460 loans valued at $3.9 billion.
Navajo Nation seeks more resources
Cronkite News, April 3
PHOENIX – Navajo Nation leaders and health officials are searching for additional resources for the reservation – from doctors to care facilities – to prepare in the event the COVID-19 outbreak worsens, they said in a virtual town hall Friday morning.
Tribal health officials had reported 241 cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths as of Thursday, April 2. In addition, they said, 1,796 individuals on the reservation tested negative for the virus. In a phone call with President Donald Trump earlier this week, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham warned the illness could “wipe out” indigenous people in the Four Corners region.
The Navajo Nation is looking to increase the number of doctors, nurses and housekeepers to work against the outbreak as officials report rising numbers in the area. Health officials looked at both projections and actual cases of COVID-19 in the reservation to determine additional staff loads, said Roselyn Tso, service director of the Navajo Area Indian Health.
UA donates COVID-19 tests to Navajo Nation
AZPM, April 3
University of Arizona Health Sciences donated 250 COVID-19 tests to the Navajo Nation Thursday, along with personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer.
According to Nation Navajo President's Twitter account, 241 people had tested positive for the new coronavirus and eight had died due to COVID-19 complications as of Thursday.
A team led by UA professor of immunobiology David Harris made more than 1,500 COVID-19 test collection kits in the last week. Harris says if his lab gets more swabs, he wants to make 500 tests a day.
Arizona Senate campaigns get creative amid virus scare
AP, April 3
PHOENIX (AP) — Martha McSally is volunteering at the Salvation Army. Mark Kelly is using his background as an astronaut to entertain kids stuck at home. The global pandemic that is shaking up life is also forcing Arizona’s U.S. Senate candidates to reinvent the political playbook when voters are much more concerned about staying healthy and paying the bills than they are with politics.
Rallies and door-to-door campaigning have been replaced by telephone town halls and pleas to donate to charity. The race is a top-tier contest that will help determine control of the U.S. Senate.
Border Patrol expelling migrants to minimize virus exposure
Fronteras Desk, April 2
The U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona has returned to a deportation policy not seen in the Southwest in nearly 20 years. It’s an operation conducted to stem the coronavirus.
The Border Patrol and Homeland Security Department spent years creating a prosecution infrastructure designed to punish people who crossed the border illegally. Now with agents trying to minimize risk from the coronavirus, the agency has turned back to fast deportations rather than incarceration for those it arrests.
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