Gov. Ducey issues order enhancing safety for large public events
Dec 2, 2020, 5:02 PM
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, Pool)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, Pool)
PHOENIX — Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order at a press conference Wednesday aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus at large public gatherings in the state.
Ducey said the order mandates that all large public events be approved by the jurisdiction where they are held, allowing towns and cities to prohibit large gatherings of more than 50 people.
Such gatherings were previously banned statewide under Ducey’s executive order issued in June but have resumed since.
Ducey said his goal is to allow jurisdictions to make decisions in their own backyard without the governor’s discretion.
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“We believe they are best equipped to make these decisions about events,” Ducey said. “But they shouldn’t just be a rubber stamp. We want to make sure that there’s a plan for hosting events with mitigation measures and adherence to public health guidelines.”
Part of Ducey’s order is that all hosts must publicly announce the event and include all details about virus mitigation strategies that are being undertaken.
“This should include an agreement by the hosts that they will implement these mitigation strategies and that they will be enforced by the organizers and local law enforcements,” Ducey said.
“We don’t believe that every event should have to get approved through the governor’s office. We want to make sure that it can happen at the local level.”
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Another aspect of the order is ramping up enforcement, where where businesses that are found to have violated public health guidelines will receive a warning for a first violation, with closures being issued if a second violation occurs.
“Our businesses have done a great job and it’s not right and it’s not fair to those that are playing by the rules for others to openly ignore them,” Ducey said.
“The outliers are few and far between, but we need fairness and an even playing field.”
