Arizona close to meeting virus metrics for school reopenings

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s downward trend of coronavirus cases means parts of the state could meet all three metrics the state’s health and education departments set for at least a partial reopening of schools by Labor Day, according to a former state health director.

And bars and nightclubs in at least some counties could meet the parameters for reopening shortly after that, according to Will Humble, who now leads the Arizona Public Health Association.

But caution is the word of the day, according to Humble and Dr. Joshua LaBaer, executive director of the ASU Biodesign Institute, which has been tracking the virus in Arizona.

“Arizona continues on what I would consider a positive trend, a good trend for us,” LaBaer said Wednesday at his weekly media briefing. But he said it is still difficult to predict if that decline will continue.

That’s particularly true if people ease up on social distancing and wearing face masks in public and start gathering in large groups again.

“If we go back to that, if people start deciding that everything’s great and they don’t need to take precautions anymore, we will pop right back again” Labaer said. “We have done that experiment once –- we don’t want to do it again. We really need to keep this down.”

Arizona became a national hotspot in June and July, with new infections rampant, hospitals nearing capacity and deaths soaring.

The sharp rise in cases started about two weeks after Gov. Doug Ducey allowed stay-home orders to expire on May 15, and bars, nightclubs and other large venues became packed with patrons. In mid-June, Ducey responded to pressure and allowed cities and counties to require people to wear masks in public. On June 29, he ordered bars, nightclubs and water parks to close as daily counts...