A week after saying he was "hopeful" Arizona kids could safely return to classrooms later this year, Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday confirmed schools will reopen for in-person instruction in a few months.
Youth summer leagues, summer schools and day camps also can reopen, with some starting as soon as next week, the Republican leader said during an afternoon news conference.
Public health guidelines for K-12 schools will be released Monday, Ducey said. Students and parents can expect physical distancing recommendations and other safety precautions, such as less mixing at lunchtime and fewer assemblies.
"It will look different. It will feel different," the governor said. "But the idea is that kids will have a more traditional, routine school day where possible and safe."
Arizona has one of the highest student-to-teacher ratios in the nation, and teachers have said they're concerned it will be hard to keep kids spaced out to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Virtual learning may still have to be an option for some students, Ducey said.
"The idea is around flexibility," he said, adding that a forthcoming executive order would also give superintendents more flexibility for school-based childcare programs.
New sports recommendations stress sanitation, distancing
The Governor's Office released guidelines for youth sports organizers and coaches shortly after the news conference.
The recommendations say those individuals should:
- Maintain physical distancing when possible.
- Provide and require adults to wear masks when possible.
- Screen facilitators and participants for symptoms before activities.
- Consider contactless check-ins.
- Disinfect pens, counters, supplies and hard surfaces between uses; sanitize gym and sports equipment before and after use.
- Provide access to soap and water for hand-washing or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer for adults and youth.
- Limit areas where large groups can congregate, and consider limiting the total number of spectators.
- Restrict the sharing of water bottles and towels.
- Avoid providing food that is not pre-packaged, and discourage sharing of after-practice or game snacks.
- If playing inside, ensure ventilation systems operate properly and encourage the circulation of outdoor air as much as possible.
- Consider assigning staff or volunteers to help enforce physical distancing and other hygiene expectations.
- Close shared spaces, including locker rooms, if possible. If not, stagger use and disinfect between uses.
The guidelines also encourage parents and guardians to limit carpooling, wear cloth face coverings and consider having kids wait in the car with them until practices or games officially begin.
'We're not in Phase 2 yet'
The governor repeatedly said Arizona remains in the first of three reopening phases outlined by the White House — even though resuming classroom learning and youth activities are classified as a Phase 2 action.
He stressed the flexibility the White House has given states to adopt the plans that work best for them. And he said the situation evolves rapidly from week to week, implying the state's coronavirus response could be on more solid footing when classes resume.
"We're not in Phase 2 yet, (but) we're very close," he said.
Phase 2 criteria include:
- Maintaining sufficient hospital capacity;
- Running a "robust" testing program for health care workers;
- Seeing a decline in reports of COVID-like illnesses;
- Observing either a 14-day downward trajectory in confirmed COVID-19 cases or a 14-day decline in the percentage of positive tests among the total tests done; and
- Ensuring data doesn't indicate a "rebound" in infections.
The state's hospitals to date have not been overwhelmed, but the number of patients hospitalized for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 in Arizona hit a record high Tuesday after a spike in the Yuma area.
And though testing efforts have expanded throughout the state, Arizona has completed fewer than 300,000 tests to date — less than 4% of its population, assuming no repeat tests.
Once the state successfully moves into Phase 2, the White House suggests relaxing restrictions on gatherings to allow for groups of up to 50 people.
It also recommends reopening bars, which the governor has already done to some extent in cases where bars have kitchens.
Other announcements
The governor also announced a new director for the state Department of Economic Security, which has been flooded with unemployment claims during the pandemic.
Assistant Director Michael Wisehart, a 20-year DES employee, will take the helm after temporary Director Tom Betlach steps down next week, Ducey said.
"(Wisehart) is a career public servant," Ducey said, calling him "instrumental inside the agency."
Ducey tapped Betlach to come out of retirement to lead DES in late March. Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, was doing double duty by also managing DES on an interim basis after former Director Michael Trailor stepped down to take a position in the Governor's Office.
But the emergence of COVID-19, combined with at least one lingering Health Department vacancy, made Christ's dual roles increasingly untenable.
The Health Services and Economic Security departments had 9,000-plus employees and a budget of about $5 billion combined.
The workload has only grown since then, with DES scrambling to meet an overwhelming need for government assistance after the pandemic decimated the state's economy.
"(Wisehart) is the first director to be promoted from within the agency," Ducey said. "We have confidence that no one knows this agency better."
Reach the reporter at maria.polletta@arizonarepublic.com or 602-653-6807. Follow her on Twitter @mpolletta.
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