Tempe will also adopt mask requirements in city buildings starting Friday, regardless of people’s vaccination status, while Phoenix goes into effect next week. The mandates make an exception for children under 6 years of age.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said she directed the city manager on Wednesday to call for a similar measure.
Phoenix City Council voted in May for the city to automatically update mask guidelines to reflect the latest guidelines from federal centers for disease control and prevention, the city said.
The CDC on Tuesday recommended that people in areas with significant virus spread indoors wear masks whether or not they are vaccinated, citing the rapidly spreading Delta variant.
Most of Arizona, including the Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson areas, is reaching the threshold of significant community penetration.
The state dashboard reported 1,759 confirmed new virus cases and 15 more deaths on Thursday. That’s a significant increase in a week when the daily case numbers were either 1,300 or more than 1,400. There have been 923,204 cases and 18,200 deaths in Arizona since the pandemic began.
Governor Doug Ducey has spoken out against any public mask mandate and instead emphasized vaccination.
Almost 6.8 million doses of vaccine have been administered in Arizona. Only 51.9% – or more than 3.7 million people – of the eligible population have received at least one dose. Over 3.3 million people are fully vaccinated.
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