PHOENIX, AZ—Gov. Doug Ducey announced Wednesday during a news conference that his stay-at-home order has been extended to May 15. This means that places like schools, movie theaters, sporting events, entertainment venues will remain closed until further notice.
“I don’t think anybody ever believed that on May 1 that we would have a return to normalcy in Arizona. What we want to do is eventually and gradually get there,” he said during the news conference.
The state’s travel restriction order has been extended to May 15 as well. The order requires anyone who travels to Arizona from New York, New Jersey or Connecticut through any airport in the state to isolate or quarantine themselves upon arrival for 14 days.
Although the governor’s stay-at-home order has been extended, it does include modifications. During the news conference, Ducey detailed a phased plan to gradually begin reopening the economy, which will include a partial reopening to retail beginning May 4, with further expansion taking place May 8.
“It will be voluntary,” he said.
Beginning Monday, retail stores will be able to operate on a limited basis, which will include appointment-based services, limited occupancy, curbside pickup or delivery. Physical distancing will still remain in place, the governor said. The restrictions would further loosen four days later. Vulnerable adults should still stay at home and refrain from participating in these services, he stressed.
Gov. Ducey said he is also currently working with the Arizona Restaurant Association to expand dine-in services.
“Our goal is to do this some time in May. The best case scenario, according to the industry, would be on May 12. But it would have to be in coordination with the industry and public health,” Ducey said.
Once people are finally allowed to sit down inside a restaurant for a meal, the governor said the experience will be a little different than it was before the coronavirus pandemic. He said food service workers will be required to wear masks, but that’s not all.
“Rather than coming to your table and asking you what you’d like to drink, they’ll also likely inform you that they’ve just washed their hands,” he said.
The governor also said health care providers will be able to resume elective surgeries starting May 1 if they can demonstrate adequate capacity. As of Wednesday, he said 1,091 are eligible to resume surgeries by that date—including hospitals, outpatient surgical centers, physicians and dentists.
As the state begins to gradually reopen, Ducey stressed that the following guidelines will remain in place during all phases of the process:
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To watch Gov. Doug Ducey’s Wednesday news conference in its entirety, see below:
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