AZ attorney general: Local gov ts can t stop employees from donating to local candidates tucson.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tucson.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
PHOENIX â The stateâs top health official acknowledged Friday she has altered the standards governing business operations in the pandemic to the point that none will have to close, no matter how serious the infection rate gets.
The reason, said Dr. Cara Christ, is that she does not believe businesses are a major source of the COVID-19 infections that currently have nearly 4,000 people in Arizona hospitals and the number of intensive care beds available in the state down to 128, just 7% of capacity.
She also said the implications of shutting down a business are greater than those for leaving them open.
By Howard Fischer
Capitol Media Services
PHOENIX â A record number of Arizonans are now hospitalized for COVID-19 as the state retains its dubious distinction as the place the virus is spreading faster than anywhere else in the United States.
New figures Wednesday from the Arizona Department of Health Services show 3,809 hospital beds are occupied by COVID patients. Even at the previous peak in July, that figure was 3,517.
The new report also shows coronavirus patients are in 1,309 beds in emergency rooms, also a new record.
And while the ICU-bed usage by COVID patients set no new records, just 155 such beds remain available in the entire state.
More spending on outdoor recreation, delivery services help trim Arizona jobless rate tucson.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tucson.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
GOP lawmaker introduces legislation to curtail governor’s emergency powers
Michelle Ugenti-Rita (Photo by Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Services
A veteran state lawmaker is moving to strip Gov. Doug Ducey of the powers he assumed when he declared an emergency 10 months ago.
The resolution by Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, says that Ducey’s March 11 emergency order has interfered with individual rights. That specifically refers to the stay-at-home edicts the governor issued early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
That has since been allowed to expire.
But Ugenti-Rita said other actions by Ducey remain, including restrictions on how some businesses can operate, have wreaked havoc on the economy.