Arizona health director on COVID-19: 'The numbers are concerning'

The state is urging residents to continue social distancing and to “always wear a mask in public even if you do not feel sick”:

IMPORTANT: 3,246 cases of COVID-19 reported in Arizona today. Please keep yourself and your family safe. Always wear a mask in public even if you do not feel sick. Maintain physical distancing. Let’s work together to slow the spread of COVID-19. #MaskUpAZ pic.twitter.com/aDsO8DXWEd

— AZ Dept of Health (@AZDHS) June 19, 2020

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Dr. Cara Christ, director of the State Department of Health Services, warned that “numbers are going to continue to rise until those mitigation measures . . . start to take effect”:

"We know that the numbers are going to continue to rise until those mitigation measures … start to take effect."@offcentervoice and @markwbrodie talked to Dr. Cara Christ about the continued dramatic increase in Arizona COVID-19 cases.https://t.co/IC1OihsBA8

— KJZZ Phoenix (@kjzzphoenix) June 19, 2020

She’s talking about cities implementing mask requirements around the state:

Here's a list of the Arizona communities that have issued emergency proclamations requiring people to wear face masks in certain circumstances, as of Friday afternoon.https://t.co/05d1L8rayB

— azcentral (@azcentral) June 19, 2020

And on public transportation:

? Rider Alert ?
Beginning July 1, Valley Metro is requiring riders to wear a face covering ? on all public transit services and at stops, stations and transit centers. #MaskUpAZ #vmcares pic.twitter.com/KwBqr5Clf5

— Valley Metro (@valleymetro) June 19, 2020

Excerpts from the interview where it’s clear that Arizona is concerned about the rising numbers:

DR. CARA CHRIST: So the numbers are concerning. We are seeing increases in the number of new cases reported each day. And today’s is a record high with over 3,200 cases reported. So, we know that the numbers are going to continue to rise until those mitigation measures that the governor put into place on Wednesday start to take effect. But that’s going to be a week or two before we start to see the effects of those mitigation measures.

She really is going all-in on masks, FWIW:

CHRIST: I’m hoping as they, as Arizonans see mask-wearing being normalized, that a lot of people are doing it. Just because the city doesn’t require it doesn’t mean that you can’t wear a mask out in public. And we would encourage everyone to wear a mask when you’re gonna be interacting with people who aren’t normal close contacts or family members or household members. So we are hoping that the message will get out there, that it’s important and it’s for everyone’s safety.

And she warned of additional lockdown if things go bad:

CHRIST: I think the nice thing with the approach that the governor has taken, it’s this calm and steady approach, and we still have tools in the tool box that we can use, whether that’s a statewide mandate for mask use, whether that’s a safer-at-home order, a stay-at-home order. There are still things that we can do, but we are hoping that, you know, encouraging mask use with cities, requiring it as well as, you know, encourage, reminding people that it’s still out there and there are steps that you can take and to stay home. You are safest at home with your normal close contacts. But we do realize people need to go out into the community.

But even if the state doesn’t shut things down, businesses are doing so voluntarily. For example, Apple:

Apple is temporarily closing its Arizona stores because COVID-19 is so bad here. https://t.co/m2NFWkjpKA

— Phoenix New Times (@phoenixnewtimes) June 20, 2020

President Trump is due to speak at a Students for Trump event in Phoenix on June 23:

The President has an in-person "Students for Trump" event scheduled on June 23 in Phoenix, AZ https://t.co/D3twz0ECpD

— Sara Cook (@saraecook) June 19, 2020

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