Governor Ducey to address state amid surge
Cases in Arizona continue to climb three months after health emergency declaration
PHOENIX, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Governor Doug Ducey will address the state Thursday afternoon as the number of coronavirus cases in Arizona continues to climb.
The governor's address comes three-months, to the day, after he declared a statewide emergency in response to the pandemic. At that time, Arizona only had nine cases of the illness. As of Thursday morning, the illness has sickened some 31,264 Arizonans. It's killed 1,127.
The current surge started shortly after Memorial Day. In the period between the holiday, May 25, and Thursday morning, the state has seen an increase of more than 14,000 cases. That's an 89% spike.
Arizona Coronavirus Cases May 25 - June 11, 2020
| Date | Cases |
|---|---|
| May 25, 2020 | 16,561 |
| June 11, 2020 | 31,264 |
| Increase | 14,707 |
The increase is even more dramatic in Yuma County, where the number of cases more than doubled during the same time period. The county went from having 730 cases on Memorial Day, to nearly 2,600 as of Wednesday afternoon.
Yuma County Coronavirus Cases May 25 - June 10, 2020
| Date | Cases |
|---|---|
| May 25, 2020 | 730 |
| June 10, 2020 | 2,588 |
| Increase | 1,858 |
Many critics want to know how Governor Ducey plans to handle the continued surge. Most recently the governor received a letter from U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego accusing him of failing to highlight the "seriousness of the growing public health emergency our state is facing." Others are calling on Ducey to re-institute the stay-at-home order.
The governor continues to insist the increase in cases is a reflection of increased testing. However, public health experts say the surge goes well beyond that. In fact, over the weekend, the state's health director urged hospitals to fully activate their emergency plans.
Arizonans will see how Gov. Ducey plans to deal with the growing number of cases when he takes the podium at 2 Thursday afternoon. KYMA.com will livestream the governor's press conference in its entirety. Download the KYMA app, and we'll send you an alert when his comments begin.
