To stem the spread of COVID-19, Gov. Doug Ducey announced he would restrict indoor dining capacity.
The executive order Ducey signed Thursday explicitly limits dine-in services to 50 percent of the capacity set by state fire code. Previous guidance to restaurants was not expressly set. Also included in the order is a mask requirement for staff. He said the rule would be enforced at the local level.
“We’re seeing some progress in Arizona,” he said. “We need to see more. We simply can’t let up.”
The governor showed slides reflecting the state’s increases in COVID-19 cases but also drops in the percentage of hospital capacity tools for COVID patients. Still, he urged people to stay home whenever necessary and to wear a mask when in public. The Department of Health Services announced 4,057 new cases Thursday, attributing 75 more deaths to the virus. The state passed 2,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19 Thursday.
Ducey also announced the state would partner with Sonora Quest Labs and Perkin Elmer to launch Project Catapult, a new ramp-up in testing to do 35,000 tests per day by the end of July and reach 60,000 tests per day by the end of August.
In addition, the state Department of Health Services will begin a new partnership with Arizona State University that will increase COVID-19 diagnostic testing. ASU will provide free saliva diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in high-need underserved communities around the state. The testing will begin Saturday.
