Warm weather is here, and in anticipation of ever-increasing temperatures, Arizona’s largest vaccination site at State Farm Stadium will transition to an indoor site at Gila River Arena in Glendale on Friday, April 23.
The State Farm Stadium site will move to nighttime hours starting Monday, April 5, to avoid daytime heat. It will conclude operations the morning of April 23 and move indoors to Gila River Arena, home to the Arizona Coyotes. Operating from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, the new Gila River Arena site will have the capacity to administer 1,000 shots per hour.
An indoor vaccination site at Yuma Civic Center transitioned to a state operation on Monday, March 29, with 8,000 appointments per week initially and capacity for 4,000 appointments a day.
An East Mesa distribution center operated by Dexcom opens Monday, April 5, as the Valley’s first state-run indoor drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination site, replacing the outdoor site currently operating at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. The site will start out offering 3,000-4,000 appointments a day.
The new indoor vaccination site in Glendale will use Gila River Arena’s main concourse to check in and vaccinate patients who have appointments, while the arena’s seats will be available for individuals to spend their 15 or 30 minutes of observation after vaccination.
Vaccine recipients will enter through the venue’s main entrance at Gate 4, and parking at the site will be complimentary.
At 11 a.m. every Friday, ADHS makes appointments available at state-run sites for the following week. Registration for these and many other sites is available at podvaccine.azdhs.gov or by calling 844-542-8201 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Both resources offer assistance in English and Spanish.
On Friday, Governor Doug Ducey engaged in a Twitter exchange with Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego for what he says are policies that “make zero sense.”
The governor sent a letter to Gallego and reminded the public that all State Parks will be open with free admission this weekend.
In his letter, the governor asserted that “Arizona’s parks are open. All parks. Everywhere. Rural and urban. From Phoenix to Tucson to Flagstaff. All towns and municipalities. Enjoy and GOD BLESS! #HappyEaster 3/3”
Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio thanked the governor for his letter:
Phoenix had set temporary restrictions in its parks, including closing parking lots and prohibiting grilling. The mayor made note that the decision was unanimous, however, DiCiccio’s Chief of Staff Sam Stone offered another view of the decision:
9-0 because Arizona’s Panic Pusher in Chief tied any reopening of Parks amenities and sports fields to also closing them on Easter
Laughable watching Gallego try to evade blame for something she was proudly taking credit for a few days ago https://t.co/HBgiLsNQG7
Somehow, they didn’t see it coming. Last week, Gilbert Public Schools, one of the largest school districts in Arizona, notified 152 certified staff members that they would be without jobs for the 2021-2022 school year. And the announcement sent shockwaves throughout Arizona’s public school districts.
But why?
Parents certainly tried to warn them. They pleaded with their school districts to find safe ways to offer in-person learning. And they threatened to leave for charter schools, private schools, or homeschool if they didn’t.
Nearly 13 months after the first confirmed Covid-19 infection in the US, President Biden held a memorial as the country surpassed 500,000 deaths attributed to the pandemic. Mourning a great tragedy, President Biden noted these casualties surpass the lives lost during WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War combined.
While alarmingly high fatalities signify a time of immense suffering, recent developments suggest the worst of the pandemic may be behind us. Covid-19 fatalities, cases, and hospitalizations are decreasing. Many universities plan to offer more in-person instruction during this fall. Texas ended its lockdown and mask mandate.
Some of these promising signs can be attributed to vaccination. According to the Wall Street Journal, over 100 million Americans have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine. Although the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines require two injections spaced two weeks apart, studies confirm that one injection provides effective immunity. Even as Covid-19 variants begin to appear across the US, t-cell tests confirm that the available vaccines can protect against mutations.
While there are many reasons to be optimistic that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, there have also been several signs governmental powers granted during the pandemic may not return to pre-Covid levels.
On Thursday, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced his decision to lift the state’s restrictive COVID-19 measures. The governor cited the declining case rates and number of vaccinated Arizonans as reasons the measures are no longer necessary.
Ducey’s order still allows businesses to enforce mask mandates if they want, but cities, towns and counties must lift theirs.
According to the Governor’s Office, “3,041,773 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered to 1,927,278 individuals in Arizona, including 1,185,986 who have been fully vaccinated.”
There has also been 10 weeks of declining cases, and hospitalizations at the lowest level since the end of September.
Under the changes announced on Thursday:
Events of more than 50 people will no longer need the approval of local governments. These events should continue to follow safe practices and CDC recommendations, including physical distancing. This includes youth sports.
The business guidance will transition from requirements to recommendations. Governor Ducey is providing businesses with the ability to continue requiring masks and social distancing.
Bars will now be allowed to resume regular operations, with the ability to require social distancing and masks.
“As we’ve said all along, distribution of the vaccine is our best path to getting back to normal, and I want to thank the millions of Arizonans who have rolled up their sleeves to make the distribution and uptake so successful,” said Ducey in a press release. “In Arizona, we never did a shutdown, so it’s impossible to have a grand reopening. Instead, we are continuing to take reasonable, safe and sensible steps. The measures put in place last summer allowed Arizona to fight back COVID-19. I want to thank the local leaders who supported these efforts with their own measures, and the businesses who implemented them. Today, we are in a different spot, and we are also a lot smarter. I’m confident Arizona’s businesses and citizens will continue to practice the fundamentals and act responsibly as we gradually get back to normal.”
