Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey wears face mask at coronavirus briefing

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey was seen wearing a face mask prior to holding a coronavirus press conference on Wednesday.

As Ducey sat down at the press conference, he used hand sanitizer then took off his mask to speak.

Last week, state health officials urged residents to wear face masks in public, which marked the first guidance from the state of Arizona about wearing masks.

Ducey tweeted on Wednesday about wearing a mask to mitigate the spread.

Protect yourself.

Protect others.

Help contain the spread of #COVID19.

Wear a mask. #MaskUpAZ pic.twitter.com/jtWuZmyiqF

— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) June 17, 2020

State officials like Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, U.S. Reps. Greg Stanton and Ruben Gallego have urged Ducey to enact a face mask policy.

The Arizona health department reported 1,827 new coronavirus cases and 20 additional deaths Wednesday morning.

That increased the state’s documented totals to 40,924 COVID-19 cases and 1,239 deaths.

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