With the COVID-19 crisis long-since passed, on Wednesday Governor Doug Ducey is finally terminating the state’s COVID-19 Declaration of Emergency. The termination takes effect immediately.
“I am glad that the Governor has finally ended the emergency because we just cannot argue that there is any reason to continue it, at this point,” said Arizona State Sen. Kelly Townsend, a healthcare professional, who has fought to open Arizona up and end restrictive policies associated with the various declarations. “However, we are not out of the woods. Two years ago this coming Monday, President Trump granted Governor Ducey’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration, that put us under the Stafford Act. As far as I know, that is still in place. This is a good time to look into that, and if it is, I believe it is a good time to request an end to that as well.”
Beginning the week of March 13-19, COVID-like illness among those visiting emergency rooms or admitted to the hospital was below the baseline of 2 percent that ADHS had established as a measure of the current outbreak period. In addition, COVID-19 cases fell to 2,054 during the week of March 20-26, down 99 percent from 151,312 cases during the week of Jan. 9-15.
Hospitalizations associated with COVID-19 have fallen to 5 percent of inpatient beds and 7 percent of intensive-care unit beds, down from 57 percent and 63 percent, respectively, in January. Meanwhile, more than 70 percent of Arizonans have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and more than 60 percent of all Arizonans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Governor’s Office says it is “committed to encouraging Arizonans to get vaccinated and boosted to protect against severe illness and death from COVID-19 and to recommending other appropriate mitigation steps based on local conditions and each person’s risk, such as staying home when sick. The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) and local public health agencies will continue supporting vaccination and testing efforts, contact tracing, and infection control assistance in healthcare and long-term care facilities. Vaccines and over-the-counter tests will continue to be widely available.”
The COVID-19 Declaration of Emergency issued March 11, 2020, directed ADHS to coordinate all matters pertaining to the public health crisis and the state’s response. It established that ADHS would determine when conditions were appropriate for terminating the emergency period.