The number of coronavirus cases and deaths in Arizona continues to rise.
In an effort to track the changes, 12 News has started a daily live blog.
Here is the live blog for Tuesday, June 16.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: 16 de junio: Aquí lo que necesita saber sobre el brote del coronavirus en Arizona
Major updates:
- There are 39,097 people with confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 1,219 coronavirus-related deaths, as of Tuesday morning.
- The state does not record how many people have recovered.
- Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information.
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Tuesday
There are 39,097 people with confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 1,219 coronavirus-related deaths, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's up from 36,705 confirmed cases and 1,194 deaths on Monday.
One week ago, there were 28,296 cases across the state with 1,070 deaths.
Record-high coronavirus cases reported Tuesday
A record-high number of coronavirus cases was reported on Tuesday.
The number of coronavirus cases reported -- 2,392 -- was reported on Tuesday, bumping the number of reported cases up to 39,097 with 1,219 coronavirus-related deaths as of Tuesday morning.
Arizona health department urges public to wear face masks
In a tweet on Tuesday, the same day a record-high number of coronavirus cases were reported, the Arizona Department of Health Services urged people to wear a face covering in public places.
The department also urged people to maintain physical distancing, wash their hands, cover their cough or sneeze and stay home when sick.
Arizona restaurant group to require diners to wear masks
LGO Hospitality is asking guests to wear face masks until they are seated at a table starting Tuesday.
Restaurants include La Grande Orange Grocery & Pizzeria, Ingo’s Tasty Food, Chelsea’s Kitchen, Cake Shop and Buck &Rider.
Guests will also need to put the face coverings back on as they exit the building. This policy will stay in effect for the foreseeable future.
Guests and team members will also need to wear a mask while moving about the dining room.
Peoria Unified cancels rescheduled graduation ceremonies
The Peoria Unified School District canceled its rescheduled high school graduation ceremonies.
The ceremonies were scheduled to take place on June 25, 26, and 27, mostly at State Farm Stadium.
Here is the letter in full:
Dear Graduates and Families:
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the cancellation of our graduation ceremonies that were rescheduled to take place June 25, 26 and 27. Given the increase in COVID-19 cases, we have determined it is not in the best interest of our students, staff, parents and community to proceed with these events.
As we shared in our recent survey communication, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) has released guidance recommending that mass events, specifically graduations, do not take place at this time. We received this guidance at the beginning of June but were hopeful that our state would begin to see a decline in cases. As recently as this morning, we reached out to the county again to see if the guidance had changed and unfortunately, it has not.
Safety has always been our first priority and we do not feel we can in good conscience proceed with an event that may jeopardize the health and well-being of our graduates, families and staff. We are devastated that we will not be able to celebrate our graduates for their achievements in the way we had originally planned and in the way that they deserve. We will remember the Class of 2020 fondly, and we know that they will continue to impact the world with a legacy beyond our current pandemic.
Navajo Nation cases grow by 22, no new deaths
The Navajo Department of Health reported 22 new cases of COVID-19 for the Navajo Nation and no new deaths.
The total number of positive COVID-19 cases for the Navajo Nation has reached 6,633.
The total number of deaths is 311 as of Monday.
Reports from 11 health care facilities indicate that approximately 3,207 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, with one health care facility report still pending.
More than 44,500 people have been tested for COVID-19.
Judge: U.S. must release $679M in tribal virus relief funds
A federal judge says the U.S. Treasury Department must release $679 million in coronavirus relief to tribes that it intended to withhold over a court challenge.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled late Monday that the department doesn't have discretion to hold back the money.
The funding is part of a federal relief package that included $8 billion for tribes and was supposed to go out by late April.
Mehta ordered the Treasury Department to disburse it among tribal governments by Wednesday.
He says continued delay in the face of an exceptional public health crisis no longer is acceptable.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
'I've run out of tears'
A Valley man has suffered an unimaginable loss after five family members have died from coronavirus.
“Some people just don’t get it this is real. Five family members have died. Myself, my wife, my kids, my brothers, have all tested positive. I mean how many more people, like I mentioned, have to die?” Ricardo Aguirre said.
Masks are effective at limiting COVID-19 spread
A top public health official in Arizona’s largest county is doing an about-face on whether masks can help stem the fast-spreading coronavirus.
Maricopa County medical director Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine confessed at a news conference that she ignored the Centers for Disease Control guidelines on wearing masks.
Arizona releases ZIP code locations of coronavirus cases, other data
The Arizona Department of Health Services has released expanded data points regarding coronavirus cases in the state.
The AZDHS website now features the location of confirmed cases in Arizona by zip code.
You can see the current ZIP code map below and can find yours by clicking around or searching for your ZIP code in the top right of the map.
More information on coronavirus cases from Tuesday
There are 39,097 people with confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 1,219 coronavirus-related deaths.
That's up from 36,705 confirmed cases and 1,194 deaths on Monday.
That's an increase of 2,392 new cases reported on Tuesday, a drastic jump from the 1,014 new cases reported on Monday.
There were 25 new deaths reported on Tuesday, an increase from the eight new deaths reported on Monday.
In total, 10,184 new tests were reported on Tuesday, up from the 9,676 tests that were reported on Monday.
There have been a total of 489,286 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Monday.
7.1% of those tests have been positive, an increase from Monday's 7.0%.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 20,775
- Pima: 4,329
- Pinal: 1,727
- Coconino: 1,393
- Navajo: 2,749
- Apache: 1,996
- Mohave: 624
- La Paz: 238
- Yuma: 3,379
- Graham: 55
- Cochise: 241
- Santa Cruz: 1,104
- Yavapai: 384
- Gila: 91
- Greenlee: 12
Click on the links below to find more information from each county's health department:
COVID-19 is believed to be primarily spread through coughs or sneezes.
It may be possible for the virus to spread by touching a surface or object with the virus and then a person touching their mouth, nose or eyes, but this is not thought to be the main method of spread, the CDC says.
You should consult your doctor if you traveled to an area currently affected by COVID-19 and feel sick with fever, cough or difficulty breathing.
There is no vaccine for the coronavirus, so the best way to prevent COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases is to:
- Wear face coverings while in public.
- Practice social distancing while in public.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
You can text FACTS to 602-444-1212 to receive more information on the coronavirus and to ask questions.
