Weekend wrap-up: Here are Arizona’s biggest stories from June 19-21

Jun 21, 2020, 6:00 PM

(Getty Images/Yawar Nazir)

PHOENIX — Positive coronavirus cases continue to surge throughout Arizona, cities decide whether or not to implement mandatory mask policies and Kansas enacts quarantine measures on travelers from the Grand Canyon State.

Here are some of the stories that headlined the Arizona news cycle over the weekend.

Arizona reports more than 2,500 new coronavirus cases, 1 death

The Arizona health department reported more than 2,500 new coronavirus cases Sunday morning.

With 2,592 new COVID-19 cases, the state’s total rose to 52,390. The health department also reported one additional fatality, increasing the death toll to 1,339.

On Saturday, the state reported 3,109 new cases and 26 deaths.

The single-day high for cases was 3,246 reported on Friday.

Here’s where Arizona cities stand on requiring face masks

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday granted local governments the authority to make wearing face masks in public mandatory as the state grapples with an increase in coronavirus cases.

Local leaders were quick to respond, revealing their thoughts on whether to implement a policy.

The move marked a major shift for Ducey, who’s been keeping rigid control of the statewide coronavirus response since he declared a public health emergency March 11.

While many cities have enacted mandatory face mask policies for residents in public, others have encouraged residents to do so without formal requirements.

Phoenix church didn’t know Trump was coming when agreeing to rental

The Phoenix megachurch where President Donald Trump is scheduled to appear next week did not know he was coming when it rented a facility to the group hosting the event.

A spokesman for Students for Trump, which is hosting the event Tuesday, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Friday the president’s involvement wasn’t confirmed before the group secured the facility.

In an online statement dated June 12, Dream City Church said its “facility rental does not constitute endorsement of the opinions of its renters.”

Kansas imposes quarantine on travelers from Arizona

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Wednesday imposed a quarantine for any travelers arriving from Arizona.

In a press release, the Kansas health department said that those coming from Arizona “need to quarantine for 14 days after arrival in Kansas.”

The KDHE also said that it will review its travel quarantine list on July 1, 14 days after the quarantine was imposed.

Other states on the list include Alabama, Arkansas and Maryland.

Top Arizona health official maintains state reopened at correct time

Arizona’s top public health official maintained Friday the state reopened at the correct time during the coronavirus outbreak.

“I think we opened at the right time,” Arizona Department of Health Services Director Cara Christ told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Gaydos and Chad. “We have been repeating the same prevention messaging. There is a responsibility for everyone to take those measures.”

Christ said the state is continuing to use data and following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when making decisions.

“We’ve been making data-driven decisions as we’ve been watching our real-time data,” Christ said.

Christ said she expects case numbers to continue to rise for the next couple of weeks as new citywide policies take effect.

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The first state-run indoor COVID mass-vaccination site opened in Mesa, Arizona, on April 5, 2021. (KTAR News Photo/Griselda Zetino)

Arizona's first indoor drive-thru mass-vaccination site opened in Mesa on April 5, 2021. (Twitter Photo/Arizona Department of Health Services)

Arizona's first indoor state-run mass vaccination site in Mesa opened April 5, 2021. (KTAR News Photo/Jim Cross)

phoenix essential worker covid-19 vaccinations

Chandler-Gilbert Community College (KTAR News Photo/Griselda Zetino)

Chandler-Gilbert Community College state-run mass vaccination site, March 3, 2021. (Twitter Photo/Arizona Department of Health Services)

Chandler-Gilbert Community College state-run mass vaccination site, March 3, 2021. (KTAR News Photo/Griselda Zetino)

People arrive to receive the COVID-19 vaccination at State Farm Stadium on February 11, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona. Maricopa County is in phase 1B of vaccine rollout, allowing law enforcement, adults age 75 and over and K-12 school staff and childcare workers to receive the vaccine. (Getty Images Photo/ Courtney Pedroza)

University of Arizona President Robert Robbins (University of Arizona Photo)

Vaccination drive through tents, designed to distribute hundreds of COVID-19 vaccines a day, are now in place on the University of Arizona Mall. Photo taken Tuesday, January 19, 2021. Photo by Chris Richards/UA News

Phoenix Municipal Stadium will serve as the second state-run mass vaccination site starting Feb. 1, 2021. (KTAR News Photo/Jim Cross)

Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers wait to get for their vaccines at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Feb. 1, 2021. The Arizona State University sports facility is the second state-run mass vaccination site. (Twitter Photo/Arizona DPS)

Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ vaccinates a state Department of Public Safety trooper at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Feb. 1, 2021. (Twitter Photo/Arizona Department of Health Services)

Phoenix Municipal Stadium opened as the second state-run vaccination site Feb. 1, 2021. (KTAR News Photo/Ali Vetnar)

Phoenix Municipal Stadium, seen Feb. 1, 2021, will serve as Arizona's second coronavirus mass-vaccination site. (Twitter Photo/Arizona Department of Health Services)

Phoenix Municipal Stadium, seen Feb. 1, 2021, will serve as Arizona's second coronavirus mass-vaccination site. (KTAR News Photo/Jim Cross)

Grand Canyon University opens as a COVID vaccination site in Phoenix on Jan. 26, 2021. (KTAR News Photo/Jim Cross)

The drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination site at the University of Arizona in Tucson opens Jan. 19, 2021. (Twitter Photo/University of Arizona)

An employee walks towards refrigerated semi-trucks containing bodies at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner on Jan. 14, 2021, in Tucson, Arizona. After reaching capacity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, two refrigerated semi-trucks arrived at the medical examiner 's office for extra storage. (Getty Images Photo/Courtney Pedroza)

A new refrigerated semi-trucks with bodies sits at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner on Jan. 14, 2021, in Tucson, Arizona. After reaching capacity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, two refrigerated semi-trucks arrived at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner for extra storage. (Getty Images Photo/Courtney Pedroza/)

Employees move bodies into refrigerated semi-trucks at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner on Jan. 14, 2021, in Tucson, Arizona. After reaching capacity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, two refrigerated semi-trucks arrived at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner for extra storage. (Getty Images Photo/Courtney Pedroza)

An employee moves a body into a refrigerated semi-truck at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner on Jan. 14, 2021, in Tucson, Arizona. After reaching capacity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, two refrigerated semi-trucks arrived at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner for extra storage. (Getty Images Photo/Courtney Pedroza)

An employee moves bodies to a refrigerated semi-truck at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner on Jan. 14, 2021, in Tucson, Arizona. After reaching capacity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, two refrigerated semi-trucks arrived at the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner for extra storage. (Getty Images Photo/Courtney Pedroza)

Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ works at the state-run COVID-19 vaccination site at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Jan. 11, 2021. (Facebook Photo/Arizona Department of Health Services)

Cars line up for the start of COVID-19 vaccines for health care workers at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix on Dec. 17, 2020. (KTAR News Photo/Griselda Zetino)

Bryan Willingham, a captain with the Phoenix Fire Department, receives a COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 17, 2020. (KTAR News Photo/Ali Vetnar)

ICU nurse Tim Schumacher receives a COVID-19 vaccine at the Phoenix VA hospital on Dec. 15, 2020. (KTAR News Photo/Peter Samore)

(Screenshot/ Arizona Department of Health Services)

Maricopa County constable Lenny McCloskey posts an eviction order on the door of an apartment Sept. 30, 2020, in Glendale, Arizona. Thousands of court-ordered evictions continue nationwide despite a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) moratorium for renters impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Although state and county officials say they have tried to educate the public on the protections, many renters remain unaware and fail to complete the necessary forms to remain in their homes. In many cases landlords have worked out more flexible payment plans with vulnerable tenants, although these temporary solutions have become fraught as the pandemic drags on. With millions of Americans still unemployed due to the pandemic, federal rental assistance proposals remain gridlocked in Congress. The expiry of the CDC moratorium at year's end looms large, as renters and landlord face a potential tsunami of evictions and foreclosures nationwide. (Getty Images Photo/John Moore)

U.S. Postal Service letter carrier Dawnya Allred sorts mail, including yellow mail-in ballots for delivery to a residential neighborhood on Oct. 08, 2020, in Phoenix, Arizona. Postal authorities are expecting a record number of mail-in ballots this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Getty Images Photo/John Moore)

Arizona State University's downtown Phoenix campus is shown Aug. 20, 2020, the first day of the fall semester. (KTAR News Photo/Jim Cross)

People walk to cast their ballots during Arizona's primary election at Biltmore Fashion Park on August 4, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. Larger venues have been catered to allow for social distancing as adjustments are made in light of the coronavirus pandemic. (Getty Images Photo/Courtney Pedroza)

A Primary Day poll worker in Phoenix observes Maricopa County's face mask policy during the coronavirus pandemic Aug. 4, 2020. (KTAR News Photo/Jim Cross)

Free coronavirus testing is held in Phoenix on July 14, 2020. (KTAR News Photo/Jim Cross)

A tube to collect a saliva sample is part of the free coronavirus testing held in Phoenix on July 14, 2020. (KTAR News Photo/Jim Cross)

Chompie's in northeast Phoenix reopens to modified sitdown service May 11, 2020. Coronavirus safety measures had limited restaurants to takeout and delivery for weeks. (KTAR News Photo/Jim Cross)

Cars line up as they prepare for coronavirus testing at a site erected near the Arizona Veterans Memorial Arena at the Arizona State Fairgrounds on April 27, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Protesters march at the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix on April 20, 2020. (KTAR News Photo/Taylor Kinnerup)

Health care professionals prepare to screen people for the coronavirus (COVID-19) at a testing site erected in a parking lot at Mayo Clinic on April 02, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued a statewide stay-at-home order beginning on April 1. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

A sign asking for customers to maintain "social distancing" due to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) is displayed at the Lowe's Home and Garden center on April 2, 2020, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Gov. Doug Ducey issued a statewide stay-at-home order beginning on April 1. (Getty Images Photo/Christian Petersen)

A sign indicating school closure due to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) is displayed at Deer Valley High School on April 2, 2020, in Glendale, Arizona. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued a statewide stay-at-home order beginning on April 1. (Getty Images Photo/Christian Petersen)

(Facebook Photo/City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department)

A sign is displayed in front of residences and at the front gate to Coyote Ranch, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Yuma, Ariz., Sunday, March 29, 2020. (Randy Hoeft/The Yuma Sun via AP)

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