Arizona Has Closed Bars Again Following A Spike In COVID-19 Cases
Officials in Arizona ordered all bars and nightclubs to re-close Monday night in an effort to curb a spike in COVID-19 cases in the state.
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed an Executive Order Monday night that would, in part, "pause the operations of bars, gyms, movie theaters, waterparks and tubing rentals," taking effect at 8 p.m. on Monday, June 29. This pause will be in effect for one month. These bars had opened up in late May following months of social distancing restrictions as COVID-19 came to the U.S.
Photos over the past few weekends saw many crowded into bars and restaurants in places like Phoenix, according to AZ Central, which Ducey said he believes is contributing to the spread.
"I think we saw the photos and videos of some of the things that were happening around our state this weekend, and the result of that has been an increase in the spread," Ducey said in a briefing: "With this targeted approach, we know that we can pump the brakes."
Arizona has emerged as one of the states seeing a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases. The state has nearly 75,000 reported cases of the virus, and recently the state has seen several days in which it topped 3,000 cases per day. They are also at 84 percent capacity of current inpatient beds and have 88 percent of ICU beds occupied.
As the U.S. sees an increase in COVID-19 cases, several states and cities have also opted to roll back re-openings of bars, including both Florida and Texas, and several counties in California.
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