Arizona governor extends order shuttering bars, gyms, theaters

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) on Thursday extended his executive order closing water parks, theaters, bars and gyms a further two weeks.

Ducey also declined to postpone the school reopening target date, but directed the state’s Department of Health Services to create data benchmarks for in-person classes by Aug. 17.

The state has nearly 153,000 cases of coronavirus and at least 3,063 deaths as of Thursday, with 85 percent of inpatient hospital beds and 87 percent of intensive care beds filled, according to AZCentral.

“There’s no victory lap today. There’s no celebration,” Ducey said at the Thursday news briefing. “We need to continue to be vigilant.”

Ducey’s order closing public spaces comes up for review on a biweekly basis. It also limits public gatherings to 50 people.

“This decision is not made lightly. Businesses and employees have sacrificed and they’ve had to make big adjustments. We’re grateful for the compliance we’ve seen across the state and the responsible actions to protect public health,” Ducey said in a series of tweets Thursday.

“Now is not the time to get complacent. We must press on and keep doing the things that are working: wearing a mask, staying physically distant, avoiding congregating and activities that lead to congregating, and staying home as much as possible,” he added.