Arizona Mayors Want 14-Day Decline in State’s COVID-19 Cases Before Reopening

Mayors from Flagstaff, Phoenix and Tucson have released a joint statement that suggests that the state of Arizona should be cautious about reopening the economy too soon.

“We should follow what the data says and not political whims about when it feels good to reopen,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.

The three mayors posted the statement just a short time before Gov. Doug Ducey announced the stay-at-home order would be extended through May 15.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and Flagstaff Mayor Coral Evans are all asking for all reopening procedures to be based on CDC guidelines. They said they want to see a 14-day decline in COVID-19 cases before reopening the state’s economy. They also want to ramp up testing, which Ducey promised would happen.

The letter from the three mayors came one day before Governor Ducey’s stay-at-home order was set to expire, and just hours before his announcement about the reopening of retail and restaurants next month.

Gallego is worried that the goal date of May 12 to reopen dine-in areas of restaurants could give people the wrong idea. “I am worried that people will interpret the Governor’s statement as a definitive decision that we are opening on May 12. We want to be deliberate here and we want to look at what the data actually says.”

“To achieve a two-week decline in COVID cases will require a significant ramping up of statewide testing” the letter reads. “We applaud the Governor’s recent action to expand testing to a larger segment of the population. The data collected from these tests will be critical in determining our ability to safely reopen the economy without unnecessarily imperiling the lives of our residents.”

“We are all eager to reopen the economy as soon as it is safe to do so,” the letter continues. “Our cities’ first responders are tasked with carrying out statewide executive orders & the more time they have to prepare the better chance we have to keep our police, fire, and residents safe & healthy.”

Click here to read the full letter.