Gov. Ducey eases elective surgery, long-term care restrictions in Arizona

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday rolled back restrictions on elective surgery and long-term care facilities as metrics continue to fall and vaccines rise in the state.

Hospitals, due to the announcement, will once again be allowed the flexibility to freely resume elective surgeries, while long-term care facilities are no longer required to adhere to Centers for Disease Control infection control guidance like symptom checks for every individual entering the facility or requiring all staff to wear appropriate personal protective equipment.

“At the beginning of the pandemic, we took necessary measures to protect vulnerable populations and all Arizonans,” Ducey said in a press release. “Now the vaccine is out far and wide, and we have much better knowledge of the virus than we did before.

“With nearly three and a half million vaccine doses administered across Arizona, we’re on track to fighting off the pandemic and returning to normal.”

The lifting of restrictions for elective surgeries comes nearly a year after an executive order was issued to only conduct the procedures if certain criteria were met, such as the amount of personal protective equipment available, adequate staffing and proper testing of patients. Ducey a month prior to that executive order halted all non-essential or elective surgeries as COVID-19 began to take a foothold in the state.

Restrictions on long-term care facilities were implemented on April 7, 2020, with cases occurring in long-term care facilities across the nation and in Arizona.

Arizona public health officials on Thursday reported 381 new coronavirus cases and 10 additional deaths from COVID-19.

The last time the state reported more than 1,000 cases in a day was March 1, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services dashboard.

Arizona frequently saw more than 5,000 daily cases during a spike in December and January.

Hosptial metrics also continue to decline, with the number of COVID-19 patents in Arizona hospitals being under 1,000 each day since March 5.

Vaccines, meanwhile, continue to be distributed with more than 2.1 million people in the state having received at least one COVID-19 vaccine, representing 30.1% of the state’s population.

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