PHOENIX – A petition campaign launched by the hosts of KFYI’s Russell & Hunter show has taken off as Arizonans grown restless under Governor Doug Ducey’s stay-at-home order and concerns increase for the state’s economic health.
Rob Hunter talks online petition to reopen the economy!
#550KFYI #Circus #JamesTHarris https://t.co/PpfghsEMJh— James T Harris (@JamesTHarris) April 17, 2020
The duo say that the petition is not for everyone. “This is a petition for the ready, willing and able who want to do their duty to keep people employed. We want to be the first wave that goes back to restaurants, bars, breweries, gyms, etc.”
“By signing this petition we understand the risk we are embarking on,” advise the radio show hosts on Change.org. “We know the risks this virus poses; however, we will take the necessary precautions to get Arizona working again. We will wash our hands, wipe down our tables and workout stations, etc. We will do our part to both stop the spread of COVID19 while patronizing beloved businesses that keep Arizona’s economy moving forward.”
Cronkite News reported on Thursday that “Arizona recorded 95,382 new unemployment claims last week, down from 132,382 the week before, according to preliminary numbers from the Arizona Department of Economic Security. The Labor Department said claims nationwide fell to 5.2 million last week from the previous 6.6 million.”
Russell and Hunter are not alone. Rep. Andy Biggs, chair of the Freedom Caucus, was just appointed to serve on the White House task force focused on economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Biggs says he is “trying to use every bully pulpit I can to make my case” for the economy to start opening up.
“If we don’t open up the American economy soon, we aren’t just going to be talking about coronavirus in a few months,” tweeted Biggs in early April. “We’re going to be talking about a great depression.”
We understand this petition is not for everyone, but know this is necessary for Arizona. -Rob Hunter, Russell & Hunter, 550 KFYI Phoenix, AZ
A highly questionable model from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which politicians and public health agencies have relied to develop their responses to the pandemic was updated on Friday and shows a dramatically different assessment of Arizona’s needs and projected peak in deaths.
The model previously estimated “peak resource” use would be on April 23 and now shows that it occurred on April 10. If in fact the peak is passed, there are currently enough hospital beds and other equipment to meet the needs presented by expected future cases.
The model previously projected 1,005 COVID-19 deaths by Aug. 4, and has been revised down to 267.
Both city and state level leaders support ending Ducey’s “lockdown.” Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio tweeted:
Our economy needs to open. Politicians pushing complete lockdown are individuals who never had a real job. Notice politicians continuing to get paychecks are pushing lockdown. People with families to feed want to get back to work. @dougducey #timetogettowork
— Sal DiCiccio (@Sal_DiCiccio) April 18, 2020
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