How Arizona counties fare in meeting in-person learning benchmarks

PHOENIX — Arizona health officials released benchmarks Thursday on how schools will be able to open for in-person instruction this academic year.

The three benchmarks provide an expectation of what counties should see before allowing in-person learning to occur this school year.

The first is a positive rate of 7% or less for two consecutive weeks.

Case rates also should be less than 100 per 100,000 people or see a two-week decline in number of cases.

The final metric requires hospital visits due to COVID-like illness be under 10%.

Metrics will be released and updated on a dashboard on the state’s health department website weekly on Thursdays.

Some of Arizona’s 15 counties are already in good position to reopen, according to the benchmarks.

Here’s a county-by-county breakdown of how they fare in meeting the benchmarks:

Maricopa — Hits 1 of 3 benchmarks. Cases have been declining the past two weeks. Rate of positive tests is about 13% and hospital visits for COVID have been above 10% for the past two weeks.

Pinal — Hits 1 of 3 benchmarks. Cases have been declining the past two weeks. Rate of positive tests is hovering above 10% and hospital visits due to COVID haven’t been below 10%.

Pima — Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks. Cases have been declining the past two weeks. Hospital visits due to COVID have been below 10% for consecutive weeks. Rate of positive tests, however, is about 7%.

Coconino — Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.

Yavapai — Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.

La Paz — Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.

Mohave — Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.

Yuma — Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.

Cochise — Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.

Santa Cruz — Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.

Navajo — Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.

Apache — Hits 1 of 3 benchmarks.

Greenlee — Hits 1 of 3 benchmarks.

Graham — Hits 1 of 3 benchmarks.

Gila — Hits 0 of 3 benchmarks.

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