Arizona COVID-19 cumulative counts, Dec. 14
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Select regional and national coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic as of Tuesday, April 14. For more coverage, visit our resource page. This story may be updated.
ASU team building 'UV BBQ' to sanitize masks
Until just a few weeks ago, environmental engineer Paul Westerhoff and his research team at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainable Engineering were studying new ways to sanitize water.
That all changed when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Now, like so many scientists in Arizona and around the country, Westerhoff’s team is answering the call to develop new technology that can help sanitize medical equipment for reuse.
Westerhoff and his team are developing a device that can deliver the perfect dosage of UVC to kill the virus, while protecting the integrity of the equipment that needs to be sanitized, like N95 masks.
New state COVID-19 map 'pretty much meaningless'
The Arizona Department of Health on Sunday began publishing a map showing positive tests for the novel coronavirus in Arizona by ZIP code. “The ZIP code map of cases of COVID-19 are pretty much meaningless,” said Dr. Bob England, Director of the Pima County Health Department.
England said the problem with the map is that it does not take into account that early on in the pandemic, it was harder to get tested and those who did get tested had to meet strict criteria.
Judge mulls ordering online initiative signature gathering
AP, April 14
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — A federal judge is considering whether backers of Arizona initiatives should be allowed to use the same electronic system used by candidates to get signatures to qualify for the ballot.
A lawyer for two groups backing statewide initiatives told U.S. District Judge Dominic Lanza on Tuesday that his clients' constitutional right to get initiatives on the ballot were being “severely burdened” by the coronavirus pandemic. Attorney Jim Barton said collecting the 247,000 signatures needed to qualify by the July 2 deadline is virtually impossible.
The move is opposed by Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Lanza says he expects to rule this week.
States confront practical dilemmas on reopening economies
AP-Virus Outbreak, 20th Ld-Writethru
Apr 14, 2020 4:49PM (GMT 23:49) WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. governors are starting to map out plans for reopening their economies as world leaders battling the coronavirus pin hopes on tests, technology and a coordinated approach to ease restrictions on movement that have slowed the outbreak but strangled the global marketplace.
Coalitions of governors from coast to coast are coordinating reopenings, even though President Donald Trump defiantly insisted he has “absolute power” on deciding when and how to loosen restrictions in the country. The International Monetary Fund projects that the world economy will suffer its worst year since the Great Depression in the 1930s and shrink by an estimated 3% this year.
Fauci: 'We're not there yet' on key steps to reopen economy
AP, April 14
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government's top infectious disease expert says the U.S. still lacks critical testing and other procedures needed to begin reopening the nation's economy, adding a dose of caution to increasingly optimistic projections from the White House.
Dr. Anthony Fauci told The Associated Press that easing off strict social-distancing rules would be on a “rolling” basis around the country. He says localities should be prepared to see new COVID-19 cases when that happens and act quickly to contain them. Asked about May 1, an increasingly discussed target date, Fauci called that possible but “a bit overly optimistic.”
Trump's 'I alone can fix it' view and state powers collide
AP, April 14
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Trump says there are “numerous provisions” in the Constitution to support his view that he has “total authority” to order states to open their economies during the coronavirus pandemic.
He has not enumerated what they were. And the consensus among constitutional scholars is that’s because they don’t exist. It was another head-snapping turn in a presidency filled with them. In previous days and weeks, Trump has laid responsibility for the pandemic response at the feet of the nation’s governors.
Now, he says he has vast powers as president to compel states to action. Many legal experts, including prominent conservatives, disagree.
Crisis line sees increase in calls during COVID-19 pandemic
AZPM, April 14
Hope Incorporated is a peer- and family-run organization in Tucson and has offered recovery-based community services for more than 30 years. The program manager of Hope’s Warm Line, Michael Van Story, says that over the past month they have seen a 40% increase in calls, and are helping people find new coping skills during this time.
“With depression and anxiety, their normal coping skills aren’t really helping them through the day,” Van Story says, “the severity increases so much that they are panicking more over the fact that they can’t get a hold of or go into their providers as they normally would when they’re having a bad day.”
Emissions test delays allowed if you're 65+
AZPM, April 14
Gov. Doug Ducey has asked everyone to stay at home if possible, but the state is still expecting most Tucson and Phoenix drivers to bring their vehicles in for emissions testing. Some people see as a mixed message.
Last month Ducey told the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to offer one-year waivers to drivers over 65 who don't want to bring their car or truck to an emission testing station in the middle of a pandemic. But what about the rest of us? Several listeners have asked AZPM why the exemption can't be extended to everyone.
Detained immigrants plead for masks, protection from virus
AP, April 14
HOUSTON (AP) — The coronavirus is spreading in immigration detention, with more than 70 detainees in 13 states testing positive and hundreds of others under quarantine.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has started to lower its detainee population to reduce the risk of people getting sick. But people held in immigration jails and their advocates say there’s still not enough protective gear, cleaning supplies or space that allows for social distancing.
They fear the number of coronavirus cases will sharply rise in the coming weeks as it has in jails and prisons nationwide. Detainees in at least four states say they have been denied masks.
Sonoran cities struggle without Arizona visitors
Fronteras Desk, April 13
In January, Puerto Peñasco celebrated the arrival of its first cruise ship, and with it, the promise of ramped-up tourism in the coastal Sonoran town, known as Rocky Point — or Arizona’s beach. But with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, everything has changed.
This time of year, the town should be bursting with people.
More than 62,000 people came to town during Holy Week alone in 2019, bringing in more than $3 million in revenues for the city, according to Lizette Ibarra, director of Puerto Peñasco's Office of Conventions and Visitors.
Not this year. Instead, it’s eerily quiet. Beaches and restaurants are closed. Hotels are empty.
"It’s just heartbreaking. It’s killing us," Zacatelco said.
Navajo Nation To Receive Rapid Coronavirus Test Kits
Fronteras Desk, April 13
The number of coronavirus cases on the Navajo Nation jumped 17% over the weekend.
The tribe is expecting rapid test kits that give results within minutes rather than days. Navajo president Jonathan Nez says quicker results likely will reveal an even higher number of positive cases, but then the tribe will be able to mitigate much faster.
Cases are multiplying rapidly on the Navajo Nation for many reasons. As much as 40% of the tribe doesn't have running water, so frequently washing hands is a problem.
Gun sales surge in Arizona
Cronkite News, April 13
PHOENIX – Arizona processed a record 82,771 background checks on would-be gun buyers in March, as fears of the coronavirus drove people to gun shops in what one shop owner called “panic time.”
It was twice as high as any March in the state since FBI background checks began in 1998 and almost one-quarter of the total sales in Arizona for all of 2019, according to NICS Firearm Checks data, which showed a doubling of background checks from February.
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