Groups, elected leaders, and concerned citizens push to make masks a requirement

Governor Doug Ducey may address the issue during Wednesday afternoon press conference

PHOENIX (AP) - A group of Arizona medical professionals is urging Republican Gov. Doug Ducey to take steps like requiring masks in public to slow a major increase in new coronavirus cases that has made the state a national hot spot.

The state's top Democratic politicians are also on board, with everyone from U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to mayors pushing for tougher action.

The state's biggest newspaper, The Arizona Republic, is also sounding alarms and calling for action.

So far, Ducey has resisted. Since he allowed the state's stay-home and most business closure orders to expire in mid-May, the second-term governor has taken no ne! w steps to rein in activities like raging bar scenes and the lack of mask-wearing by many people in stores, restaurants and other public spaces.

The rising numbers may force his hand. Arizona hospitals were treating a record number of coronavirus patients Tuesday amid a surge of new cases. The state's Health Services Department reported a record number of emergency room visits for the virus as well.

The governor plans a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

The health agency confirmed 1,827 new cases and 20 new deaths Wednesday. That brings the total confirmed cases to 40,924 and deaths to 1,239.

Hospitals were treating 1,582 patients on Tuesday, an increase of more than 500 from two weeks earlier. Emergency room visits for patients with virus symptoms soared to nearly 1,100. On June 3, hospitals reported seeing 638 patients in emergency rooms.

Statewide Tuesday, hospitals were at 85% of capacity. That's well above the 80% rate where Ducey said they would have to halt elective surgeries to preserve space.

Ducey said last week he would enforce that order, but Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ said the department hadn't yet required a halt as they review the capacity reports. The state reported a record of nearly 2,400 cases on Tuesday.

More than 700 health providers sent Ducey the letter earlier this week urging him to require that people wear masks in public spaces.

Among them was Dr. Natasha Bhuyan of Phoenix. The family medicine doctor said marketing campaigns and tweets from the governor's office urging the use of masks aren't going to cut it.

"We've been educating the public this entire time, and clearly it hasn't been effective," Bhuyan said. "The accurate scientific information is just not reaching people. It's a public health tenet: When you make things mandatory, you see results."

She said she believes if immediate action isn't taken, Arizona could see hospital ICUs and vent ilators reach capacity as early as July.

Ducey has suggested the use of masks, but he so far has declined to issue a mandate. He posted messages on Twitter and Facebook Wednesday urging the use of masks. The messages said "Protect yourself. Protect others. Help contain the spread of #COVID19. Wear a mask. #MaskUpAZ."

During a news briefing last week where he pushed back on questions about a mask mandate, the governor insisted that the state's hospitals, while filling up, had the capacity to treat any expected surge in virus patients.

Those comments drew a rebuke from Sinema in an interview with KTAR on Tuesday.

"I don't think it makes sense to design your policy based on whether or not there are enough hospital beds for people to die in," Sinema said on the "Gaydos and Chad Show."

"I think we should be designing our policy about how do we reduce the spread, so fewer people are dying, fewer people are in the hospitals and fewer people are contracting the virus. That should be our focus. And we can do that while also safely reopening our businesses and our economy."

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

KYMA.com will carry Gov. Ducey's press conference live as it happens, beginning at 3 Wednesday afternoon.