Ducey says Arizona making progress, will remain in first phase of reopening
May 20, 2020, 4:05 PM | Updated: 6:41 pm
(KTAR News Photo/Peter Samore)
(KTAR News Photo/Peter Samore)
PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said Wednesday that the state will remain in the first phase of reopening and is seeing good progress in recovering from the coronavirus outbreak.
Ducey pointed to a decrease in positive test percentages and increased testing numbers in the days since Arizona moved away from its “stay-at-home” order and into the first phase of reopening.
Arizona’s positive COVID-19 test percentage dropped to 3% on Sunday, according to state data.
“Today we remain safely and squarely in phase one,” Ducey said during a press conference. “We want to say that what you are doing, what the people of Arizona are doing, is working.”
The Republican governor gave no indication of when Arizona would move into the second stage of reopening but said the state “is on a trajectory” to reach that position.
Ducey’s “stay-at-home” order expired Friday at 11:59 p.m. after being in place since March 30.
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The order was originally supposed to expire on May 1, but Ducey extended it two weeks because he said data didn’t support Arizona entering phase one of reopening.
Between the extension announcement and the end of the “stay-at-home” order, Ducey reopened barbershops, salons, gyms pools and allowed dine-in service at Arizona restaurants to return on a limited basis.
“We have slowed the spread of COVID-19,” Ducey said. “We have hospital capacity. We are ramping up the testing blitz. We are seeing the symptoms dropping and businesses can continue to open.
“We want to continue practicing social distancing.”
Ducey mentioned formulating a plan for the return of schools in the fall as one of the next steps Arizona will take in reopening.
Ducey extended the Arizona Testing Blitz an additional two weeks in an effort to continue ramping up testing.
The state had administered 227,099 tests with 14,897 positive cases and 747 deaths as of Wednesday morning.
“We are going to return the Arizona way,” Ducey said. “It’s going to continue to be gradual and phased in. We are going to balance and prioritize public health and returning stronger.”
