Governor Doug Ducey issued an Executive Order Friday allowing most businesses to return to full occupancy, saying his decision is rooted solely in public health. Social distancing, mask-wearing remain in place, but for all intent and purposes, Arizona is open for business.
“We’ve learned a lot over the past year,” said Governor Ducey. “Our businesses have done an excellent job at responding to this pandemic in a safe and responsible way.”
On Friday, only 13 patients are being treated for COVID at Valleywise Medical Center in Phoenix, with just one COVID patient is in the ICU. Over the last seven weeks, statewide the number of new COVID cases dropped dramatically.
From a mid-January high of 11,663 new cases in one day to just nine new cases on Thursday. With more than 2 million doses of the vaccine administered in Arizona, the Governor was looking to do something big, according to a source. He decided Friday was the day.
Read the Governor’s entire statement below:
“Unlike other states, we never did a shutdown here in Arizona. We withstood the calls from the extremes on both sides, and we will continue to ignore them. We always knew that fighting this virus would be dependent on the personal responsibility of everyday Arizonans.
Like the rest of the country, Arizona has made its way out of the winter surge of cases. And we are leading the nation in the vaccination rollout. Our mitigation strategies have been targeted and data-driven.
Today’s announcement is a measured approach; we are not in the clear yet. We need to continue practicing personal responsibility. Wear a mask. Social distance. Stay home when you’re sick and wash your hands frequently.
With the vaccine rollout advancing rapidly, we continue to have hope for the future.”
