Governor Ducey Again Prematurely Lifts COVID-19 Safety Precautions, Setting Up Another Surge (Updated)

Governor Doug Ducey rejected the Biden administration’s offer to set up FEMA COVID-19 vaccination sites to get more shots into more arms more quickly.

The ice cream man hired by Koch Industries to run their Southwest subsidiary formerly known as the state of Arizona, who is already responsible for two of the “worst in the nation” outbreaks of COVID-19 because of his criminal negligence and mismanagement of the pandemic, is now setting up a third surge, catering to the anti-science COVID deniers, anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers in his GQP base who continue to be a public health menace.

Ducey apparently believes the state-run COVID-19 vaccination sites are good enough. I don’t know what your experience was, but I spent two weeks trying to register for a vaccination at the University of Arizona pod, and even when the local yokel news programs were announcing that there were thousands of shots available, I kept getting a message back that all spots were either reserved or that I did not qualify (even though I did qualify). I finally gave up and got up in the middle of the night to spend over two hours trying to crack the CVS Pharmacy COVID-19 vaccination site, and finally succeeded in registering for my vaccination. I seriously doubt that I am the only one who has endured this frustration with the state of Arizona’s COVID-19 vaccination site. More options available could not hurt.

After spending the better part of the past week engaged in posturing and performative politics attacking the Biden Administration for the “surge” on the border that is not, The migrant ‘surge’ at the U.S. southern border is actually a predictable pattern, and which actually began last fall with the mismanagement of the Trump administration, ‘Sitting on their hands’: Biden transition officials say Trump officials delayed action on child migrant surge, he now says Arizona governor says no beef over rejected fed vaccine site:

There is no turf war after Arizona rejected a proposed federal government-supported COVID-19 vaccine site, Gov. Doug Ducey said Wednesday.

No, just more posturing and performative politics from the governor.

He and Dr. Cara Christ, the state’s top health official, said working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on setting up a community vaccine center in Pima County would not be as efficient as simply allocating more doses to the state.

“What the federal government tells us is they are capable of distributing from this potential site is 6,000 doses. What we are capable of at the state level is 60,000,” Ducey said. “Our objective is to get the vaccine out faster and to more Arizonans.”

The decision has drawn criticism from Pima County, where officials voted unanimously for the federal site. The conflict somewhat overshadowed Ducey’s touting of vaccine expansions Wednesday at the University of Arizona state-run site in Tucson, where the Republican governor got his second dose.

Ducey, however, said he would revisit the issue since Pima County officials felt so strongly.

The Tucson Sentinel reports, Pima County faces ‘arms race’ against COVID-19, Ducey rejects FEMA vaccine site:

Pima County officials said that they are in an “arms race” against new variants of COVID-19, and that an opportunity to take the county’s “aggressive” vaccine plan and “put it on steroids” has been hampered by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s refusal to allow federal officials to set up a new vaccine site could cover more than 200,000 people here.

Following Ducey’s decision, in an unusually unanimous vote, the Pima County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution Wednesday that would ask the Republican governor to reconsider his decision turning down the vaccination help. If he refuses, the county will attempt to circumvent Ducey and ask federal officials to provide the vaccinations as part of a federally run site.

The move comes as the county has detected a new variant of COVID-19 that may be more infectious and could lead to more cases, as local health officials hustle to achieve some kind of “herd immunity,” and vaccinate thousands of county residents, even with a yet-constrained vaccine supply.

As part of the plan, FEMA would provided up to 6,000 doses per day of Pfizer vaccine for three weeks, plus another three weeks for the necessary second shots. FEMA also offered the possibility of another two weeks of one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, up to 80,000 doses, county officials said.

However, Ducey and Dr. Cara Christ, the state’s director of Health Services, rejected FEMA’s offer, arguing that the effort would require help from the state. Arizona officials later said they would rather FEMA give the allocated vaccine doses to state officials so they could be distributed as they determine.

In a letter Monday, county officials and the mayors of Tucson, South Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Sahuarita, asked Ducey to reconsider his decision.

* * *

During a press conference on Wednesday, Dr. Francisco Garcia, the county’s medical director, called the FEMA offer an opportunity to put the county’s “aggressive” vaccination plan “on steroids.”

He said that it would be “unconscionable not the take the offer immediately.”

“How anybody can say no to an additional 200,000 doses of vaccine is difficult for me to understand,” Garcia said, describing the effort to get shots to people before more infectious variants of the deadly virus spread here as “an arms race.”

Supervisor Rex Scott went further. “For state government to get in the way is just reckless and irresponsible,” he said.

While Supervisor Steve Christy, the lone Republican on the county board, criticized both the state and the county for an “underlying current of irritation and acrimony,” he voted to approve the resolution. “I’m in favor of anything, anywhere that brings more vaccines into Pima County.”

“I’m pleased that my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors joined me and voted unanimously to request that FEMA move forward and set up additional vaccination PODs at the El Pueblo Community Center and the Kino Event Center, and in doing so, provide our community with hundreds of thousands of additional doses of critically needed vaccine,” said Supervisor Matt Heinz, a practicing medical doctor. “The exceedingly rare 5-0 unanimous vote highlights that this issue is not about politics – it’s about equitably providing these life-saving vaccines to our community members as quickly as possible,” he said.

“That Gov. Ducey would play games with the lives of Pima County residents by rejecting this federal assistance and additional vaccines for our community is just despicable,” Heinz said. “His rash and politically motivated decision put lives on the line and attempted to hold back our economic recovery as well. It is an affront that will not be forgotten any time soon by the voters of Pima County.”

Jim Nintzel of the Tucson Weekly put it succinctly: Ducey to Pima County: Drop Dead. Right back atcha, big boy:

Few people will argue that Gov. Doug Ducey has done an outstanding job in battling the coronavirus in Arizona. Twice, the state has been a global hotspot for the outbreak; he refused to shut down nightclubs (including those owned by the family of his own healthcare advisor) until the disease got so out of control that most public schools had to launch the fall semester remotely; he thinks so little of testing to determine the extent of infections and path of the virus that he wants to stiff Pima County on testing expenses despite getting hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government to do just that; he totally botched the rollout of the state’s online vaccination registration system; and when he got tired of taking heat from the media in weekly COVID press conferences, he just quit having them.

But Ducey’s latest move may be his most appalling: Telling the federal government that Pima County didn’t need an additional vaccination clinic.

Sorry Jim, but Dougie wasn’t done. Today’s move may be his most appalling (did he fail to listen about the emerging variants in Arizona?) Ducey lifts COVID restrictions, opening Arizona bars & again blocking local mask mandates. Dylan Smith reports:

Bars in Arizona will no longer have to operate under COVID-19 restrictions, said Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who also ordered Thursday that cities and counties can no longer mandate face-covering be worn in public — a move called “irresponsible, unethical and unprecedented” by the chair of the Pima County Board of Supervisors and “premature” and “reckless” by the mayor of Tucson.

Tucson officials plan to continue the city’s mask mandate, despite Ducey’s order, saying they have “clear legal authority” to do so.

Measures to stem the coronavirus pandemic will “transition from requirements to recommendations” under the governor’s order, issued Thursday morning and effective immediately.

Businesses are “encouraged to take actions” recommended by the CDC, OSHA and other agencies to limit the spread of the virus, Ducey said, but will no longer be required to do so by the state or local governments.

Arizona businesses “still maintain the right to institute and enforce policies to mitigate against COVID-19 spread including the use of face coverings and physical distancing, and retain the right to refuse service to those who do not comply,” Ducey ordered.

Shifting the onus to business owners and their employees? Does Ducey have any idea how many workers have already been assaulted by anti-science COVID deniers, anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers in the GQP base? Google it. Ducey is unfairly putting workers at risk of violence because he is too much of a wimp to stand up to his own unhinged political base. It is now open season on business owners and their employees. CDC Guidance: Limiting Workplace Violence Associated with COVID-19 Prevention Policies in Retail and Services Businesses.

Local officials were again scrambling to react to a move by Ducey that was not coordinated with local health authorities.

“We’re reviewing it for whatever steps that may be necessary and appropriate to modify county mitigation rules,” said Pima County spokesman Mark Evans.

Ducey’s order allows cities, towns and counties to set rules, including requiring masks, in government facilities. But it reinstates a block on local jurisdictions from mandating masks be worn in public, and also bars cities, towns and counties from taking any other local measures to stem the spread of the virus that go any further than Ducey’s statewide recommendations.

“As we’ve said all along, distribution of the vaccine is our best path to getting back to normal, and I want to thank the millions of Arizonans who have rolled up their sleeves to make the distribution and uptake so successful,” Ducey said in a press release. “In Arizona, we never did a shutdown, so it’s impossible to have a grand reopening. Instead, we are continuing to take reasonable, safe and sensible steps.”

Taking common sense precautions to prevent new COVID-19 variants from emerging before everyone is vaccinated, a new variant that may render the current vaccines ineffective, is the best path to getting back to normal. Even after you are fully vaccinated, the CDC still recommends wearing a mask and social distancing. CDC Guidance: When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated. Ducey is NOT “taking reasonable, safe and sensible steps.” He is once again being rash, reckless and negligent.

County and city officials took a different view, with Mayor Regina Romero saying that Tucson will continue its city mandate that people wear masks in public.

“Gov. Ducey’s actions are premature and will jeopardize Arizona lives unnecessarily,” Romero said Thursday afternoon. “The vast majority of Arizonans are not fully vaccinated and the threat of more contagious, lethal variants remains.”

“Removing local mask requirements is not linked to spurring our economy, as the governor suggests,” she said. “On the contrary, his actions could exacerbate community transmission, prolonging the pandemic and delaying a full and permanent re-opening of our economy.”

[“It is unfortunate that Gov. Ducey is caving to political pressure from the far-right and hopping on the band-wagon of reckless actions of other governors instead of following the science and doing what’s best for Arizonans,” the Tucson mayor said Thursday.]

City Attorney Mike Rankin “advised me that we have clear local authority to continue implementing our city mask mandate,” the Democratic mayor said. “I have no intention of removing our local mask wearing requirement. Last summer, I announced that we would proceed with implementing a local mask mandate before the governor untied our hands precisely because we know we have the legal authority. Here in Tucson, we will continue to follow the science and advice of our public health experts.”

Ducey’s move “is only going to make things worse,” said Sharon Bronson, chair of the Board of Supervisors. “This is going to make it more difficult to get to herd immunity, and going to ensure that our economic recovery is not coming soon.”

“Arizona will again see a rise in COVID cases and deaths” if people stop wearing masks in public and crowd into bars, Bronson told TucsonSentinel.com.

Ducey’s move is “irresponsible, unethical and unprecedented,” she said. [Actually, Florida and Governor  DeSantis, with whom Governor Ducey is competing, is a precedent.] “Local jurisdictions are the ones on the ground that understand the challenges. We should be the ones to make those decisions, not the state government. Local control matters in these instances.”

Ducey’s office cited the declining number of new reported infections and the hospitalizations decreasing to the lowest levels since the second wave of COVID hit Arizona, along with the number of vaccinations that have been administered.

Arizona has endured 16,874 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and on Thursday, the state reported 32 additional deaths from the disease, following 44 deaths added to the year-long toll on Wednesday. There have been nearly 838,000 diagnosed cases in the state, and during the height of the pandemic, Arizona had one of the worst rates of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the world — with nearly 122 cases per 100,000 residents.

Nationwide, the U.S. has suffered more than 29.7 million cases, and 541,289 people have died from the virus.

Get your vaccination, take precautions and prepare yourself for the next surge of COVID-19 in Arizona. This is criminal negligence.

UPDATE: Banner Health, running the COVID-19 vaccination sites, begs to differ with  fake “Dr. Ducey” on the science:

Mitigation measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are important as we continue our vaccination efforts. To date, less than 20% of Arizonans are fully vaccinated against the virus. This number needs to be much higher before we ease mitigation measures like masking. (1/5)

— Banner Health (@BannerHealth) March 26, 2021

Masks play a vital role in preventing the spread of COVID-19. It is still important to wear masks in public while our vaccination rate is low in order to protect those who are at high risk and also those who have not had the opportunity to get their vaccine, yet. (2/5)

— Banner Health (@BannerHealth) March 26, 2021

We all want to return to a more normal way of living, and the best way for us to do this is for everyone to get the COVID-19 vaccine so that we have a high level of herd immunity in Arizona. (3/5)

— Banner Health (@BannerHealth) March 26, 2021

We strongly encourage that Arizonans continue to mask in public, avoid large gatherings and get vaccinated as soon as possible. (4/5)

— Banner Health (@BannerHealth) March 26, 2021

We’d also ask that businesses do the right thing by continuing to implement and enforce masking requirements within their establishments to protect their employees and patrons. (5/5)

— Banner Health (@BannerHealth) March 26, 2021