Arizona COVID-19 cases: 7 days
The map shows COVID-19 cases and case rates in the week before the last update.
Photo credit: Nick O’Gara / AZPM. Sources: The New York Times, based on reports from state and local health officials, Census Bureau. Case reports do not correspond to the test day.
Cases 828.630 | Deaths 16,404
As of Wednesday March 10, Arizona reported 830 new cases of COVID-19 and 78 more deaths. The number of positive COVID tests that found the virus variant first identified in the UK has increased in Arizona, the Associated Press reports.
Aid groups in Arizona are stepping up efforts to host migrants and coordinate care
AZPM
Amid mounting concerns near the U.S.-Mexico border, cities of Arizona are seeing increasing numbers of migrants arriving after they have been processed.
Officials began releasing migrants to Yuma County in February amid concerns about the detention of large groups of people for extended periods during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, Customs and Border Guards say they are reverting to an old policy allowing people to be processed and a notice served before they are released, and to wait for immigration hearings with family members or sponsors.
But there is no shelter in the area in Yuma County to accommodate them while they make these travel arrangements. Teresa Cavandish of Tucson Shelter Casa Alitas said this was one reason her facility stepped in to help.
Find out more here.
Tucson City Budget City Hall
AZPM
The city of Tucson’s budget for the next fiscal year is up for debate, and city officials would like to hear how residents plan to spend the money.
The city has split the budget discussions into four virtual town halls. The first is Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and focuses on infrastructure and mobility. Residents can register for the town hall here.
The discussion between the public and the city guides will be moderated.
Find out more here.
The council is suspending the Reid Park Zoo project
AZPM
Tucson City Council voted Tuesday to put a brake on a planned expansion of Reid Park Zoo. The break gives various stakeholders time to come together to discuss a compromise:
When Tucson voters approved a sales tax increase in 2017, the money was earmarked for capital improvements for the Reid Park Zoo.
Councilor Karin Uhlich said voters were not necessarily aware that these capital improvements would include adding three and a half acres to the zoo, reducing the park’s open space. If they had, she said, “then I think a lot more people would have gotten engaged because they would have realized that this has an impact on the park, which is capitalized.”
Find out more here.
Conversation with Arlando Teller about transport in tribal countries
AZPM
Former Arizona State Representative Arlando S. Teller, a member of the Navajo Nation, resigned in January after accepting a position with the US Department of Transportation as Assistant Assistant Secretary for Tribal Affairs.
Arizona Public Media’s Emma Gibson spoke to the former lawmaker about his new job and Arizona legacy.
Listen to the full interview here.
The Tucson Council reappoints the review board’s proposed judge
AP
Tucson City Council has unanimously decided to reappoint a magistrate who was unanimously agreed by a review board that he should not get another term.
The City Magistrate’s Merit Selection Committee issued a rare recommendation for a council vote against the reappointment of Magistrate Geraldine Hale on Feb.11.
The Arizona Daily Star reports that Mayor Regina Romero said she wanted to know more about the commission’s process but regretted that Romero called an “obvious campaign” against Hale.
The commission had said dozens of attorneys and judges said Hale had an unpredictable temperament, failed to provide adequate trial for the defendants, and lacked basic legal knowledge.
Find out more here.
Arizona reports 78 COVID-19 deaths after 2 days without it
AP
PHOENIX – Arizona has reported 830 new COVID-19 cases and 78 deaths. This ended a two-day period in which no further deaths were confirmed.
The Ministry of Health released the latest figures on Wednesday. The number of hospital stays has continued to decline. COVID-19 patients occupied 868 beds on Tuesday. That’s about a sixth of the pandemic peak on January 11th.
The director of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University says laboratory data shows a recent surge in the rate of positive tests where a COVID-19 variant was first identified in the UK. He says the variant isn’t prevalent in Arizona, but it’s a minority that is growing.
Find out more here.
Navajo Nation reports 12 new COVID-19 cases and 1 additional death
AP
WINDOW ROCK – The Navajo Nation reported 12 more COVID-19 cases and one more death from the virus on Tuesday as the downward trend in infections and hospitalizations continues.
The latest numbers have brought the total number of the strain to 29,887 confirmed cases and 1,204 known deaths since the pandemic began a year ago.
Also on Tuesday, the Navajo Department of Health identified eight communities with uncontrolled spread of COVID-19, compared to 75 communities with uncontrolled spread in January.
Health facilities on the reservation and in border towns run drive-through vaccine events or administer doses by appointment. A daily curfew from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. and a mask mandate continue to apply to residents of the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
Find out more here.
Members of Congress urge Biden to recall troops from the Razor Wire border operation
Frontera’s desk
Members of Congress have asked the Biden administration to recall nearly 4,000 soldiers stationed on the U.S.-Mexico border under former President Trump.
The letter was signed by 22 members of Congress, including the Democrat Raúl Grijalva of southern Arizona.
President Biden put an end to the border region urgency that Trump initiated in 2019, but the troops stayed and so far there has been no information from the Pentagon or Homeland Security that this will change.
The letter also called on Biden’s government to remove the concertina wire welded to the border wall in urban areas such as Nogales, Arizona.
Western states map different paths when water scarcity emerges
AP
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah legislation is a cause for concern as seven western states prepare to negotiate how to sustain a river that serves 40 million people and massive agribusiness.
States share the realization that they are unlikely to get what the Colorado River promised them a century ago. However, legislation awaiting approval from the Utah governor is creating a unit that could push for a larger chunk of the state.
Critics say it could step up efforts to complete an expensive pipeline from a dwindling reservoir, which is a key indicator of the river’s health. Meanwhile, states have protection in mind as they pass laws that focus on securing other water supplies.
Find out more here.
The US reports an increase in the number of children on the southwest border, a challenge for Biden
AP
WASHINGTON – The number of immigrant children and families eager to cross the U.S. southwest border has increased to levels not seen since the pandemic.
This presents a challenge to President Joe Biden as he works to reverse his predecessor’s restrictive immigration policy.
Statistics released Wednesday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection show that the number of children and families rose more than 100% between January and February. The number of children crossing alone has increased by 60% to more than 9,400, forcing the government to look for new places to temporarily detain them during the pandemic.
Find out more here.
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