Governor Ducey eases restrictions in hospitals, care facilities

(KYMA, KECY/Associated Press) - With the number of COVID-19 cases continuing to decline around Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday eased restrictions on elective surgeries and long-term care facilities.

In March 2020, Ducey issued an executive order that temporarily halted nonessential or elective surgeries. A month later, he issued an order resuming elective surgeries if certain criteria were met.

Ducey’s order Thursday provides hospitals with the flexibility to conduct elective surgeries.

He said the state acted on the best available science and federal recommendations to institute rules in April 2020 to protect vulnerable residents of long-term care facilities.

With vaccination efforts underway, Ducey said Arizona now is able to roll back some of those limitations and help facilitate additional visitation as well as off-site visits for long-term care residents without the need for quarantine upon return.

“At the beginning of the pandemic, we took necessary measures to protect vulnerable populations and all Arizonans. Now the vaccine is out far and wide, and we have much better knowledge of the virus than we did before,” Ducey said in a statement.