The Stay At Home order issued by Governor Ducey ended on May 15 and was replaced by new guidelines as Arizona moves forward in the next stage of economic recovery.
Arizona’s new Executive Order, took effect on Saturday, May 16, building on comprehensive efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect public health. The new guidance issued by the Governor aligns with gating criteria issued by the White House and Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and aims to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 resurgence, protect vulnerable populations, and guide the reopening of businesses with enhanced physical distancing and safety measures in place.
Governor Ducey held a press conference providing new guidance on reopening the Arizona economy in accordance with the CDC Guidelines for Opening Up America Again. Pools, gyms and spas may reopen with enhanced sanitation and physical distancing requirements. Facilities that do choose to open must incorporate physical distancing measures and additional sanitation.
Governor’s Guidance for Reopening:
Maricopa County is putting hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds to immediate use helping people impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic while also pulling back on discretionary spending unrelated to the crisis. It’s a one-two effort to best serve taxpayers during a time of national emergency. The Board of Supervisors approved a tentative $3.071 billion budget for fiscal year 2021 while not raising the tax rate. The bulk of spending is focused on core statutory responsibilities like public safety, with an increased amount dedicated to community health.
We are cutting back on spending where we can and doubling down where we must, with a focus on wise management of the CARES Act funding. A crisis of this magnitude makes it even more important for our government to operate at the speed of business. I’m proud of how quickly we’ve been able to adjust our operations to serve constituents. The first round of CARES Act funding requests was approved by the Board of Supervisors. Read the press release here
Having detailed discussions with positive COVID-19 cases and their close contacts is an important part of tracking the spread of the virus and assessing community risk. In the public health world, these are referred to as investigations and contact tracing. Maricopa County Public Health has done this since the first reported local case at the end of January. Public Health announced detailed plans to expand that effort with new hires and the help of partners including Crisis Response Network and Banner Health Poison Control.
Read the press release here.
(see video below with Marcy Flanagan, Executive Director of Maricopa County Public Health)
 Watch the Video Here
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If you are a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case, you can expect to hear directly from Maricopa County Public Health. What guidance do individuals receive?
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Maricopa County is increasing its stock of personal protective equipment (PPE) and, to date, has been able to meet PPE requests from all long-term care facilities, including those which do not have a current confirmed positive case. Click here to watch the video.
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Maricopa County and its partners are working to get high-risk populations off the streets and into safer spaces in order to protect their health, and community health, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This effort includes finding alternate housing sites around the County where people have access to food, clothing, and medical care.
The Arizona Enrichment Centers Program will expand to offer prioritized child care for the children of grocery store employees and food bank workers. Enrichment Centers have already been providing child care for first responders, critical health care workers and essential public sector workers serving others as Arizona works to slow the spread of COVID-19. The program will also continue to offer prioritized care and scholarships to eligible families through the end of July.
For more information read here.
 Source: AZ Forestry
Cave Creek Mayor, Ernie Bunch has declared an emergency in Cave Creek due to the East Desert Fire. We appreciate his leadership and the fire crews who are battling this brush fire that has grown near Cave Creek causing evacuations of nearby homes. State, County and Town agencies continue to closely monitor this fire. Crews are prepared for possible alignment with up to 30 mph winds that could cause fire activity and rate of spread to increase. For updates on the East Desert Fire click here.
"Kick Open the Chutes"
This year the 43rd Annual PRCA Rodeo will be held May 22nd - 24th. Performances each night are live starting at 7:30 p.m. Pacific time. The Cowboy (COWBY) Channel can be found at Dish Network-232, Direct TV-603, or Cox-260, or watch on your phone or computer via the app, Cowboy Channel Plus. To download it, visit CowboyChannelPlus.com.
At this time the Rodeo will not be open to the public to be in compliance with CDC guidelines and the Governor's Executive Order. Read the press release or for more information click here.
 1957—A Forest Entrance sign on the Tonto National Forest. The sign is on the "Apache Trail" highway, near Mesa, Arizona. The Superstition Mountains are in the background. Photo by D. O. Todd/ Credit U.S. Forest Service
On Friday, May 15th, much of the Tonto National Forest's developed recreation sites opened for use. With over 2.9 million acres, the Tonto National Forest is the largest national forest in Arizona, and the seventh largest national forest among 154 USDA National Forests. For detailed information, read the press release here.
For information regarding forest recreation sites and fire restrictions on the Tonto National Forest, contact the Tonto National Forest at (602) 225-5200 or click here. For further information regarding recreation opportunities, please visit the Tonto National Forest website and click the Check Your Rec icon on the right side of the page. You can also visit the National Forest Interactive Visitor Map .
Sincerely,
Steve Chucri, District 2
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors
www.maricopa.gov/steve
602-506-7431
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