Pence and Ducey hold post-briefing press conference
Vice President promises Arizona federal resources and support
PHOENIX, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Phoenix late Wednesday morning to get a briefing on Arizona's continued battle against a continued surge in coronavirus cases.
Pence landed aboard Air Force 2 and immediately went into a meeting with Governor Doug Ducey, as well as with federal and state health officials, to discuss Arizona's pandemic prognosis. Officials involved in that conversation included:
- Acting Secretary Chad Wolf, Department of Homeland Security
- Rear Admiral John Polowczyk, Vice Director for Logistics, Joint Chiefs of Staff
- Ambassador Deborah Birx, M.D., White House Coronavirus Coordinator
- Dr. Cara Christ, Director, Arizona Department of Health
- Major General Michael McGuire, Adjutant General, State of Arizona
- Steve Purves, President and CEO, Valleywise Hospital
- Dan Ruiz, Chief of Operations, Office of Governor Doug Ducey
- Marcy Flanagan, Director, Maricopa County Department of Health
Following the meeting, Pence, Ducey, and Dr. Deborah Birx addressed the media. Pence promised the state would get all the resources it needs from the federal government to stop the spread of coronavirus.
"...We’re absolutely determined to ensure that whether it be testing, whether it personal protective equipment, whether it be additional personnel -- some of which arrive in Tucson today -- that you have the ability here to identify the nature of the spread here in Arizona, to identify people who have contracted, to provide healthcare to those individuals." said the vice president.
Pence also praised Gov. Ducey's leadership.
"Governor, I want to thank you for your strong leadership. The steps that you’ve taken in just the past few weeks, where you’ve seen a rise in cases across Arizona; the efforts that you’ve taken to put the health of the people of Arizona first; engage the cooperation of the people of Arizona to practice the kind of hygiene and common-sense measures that we know will slow the spread is greatly to your credit and to the credit of your entire healthcare team." said Pence.
The Vice President also urged younger Arizonans to pay closer attention to CDC guidelines, to wear masks, to socially distance, and to consider the health and well-being of their older loved ones.
Governor Ducey agreed.
"Our message to Arizonans today is clear: They are safer at home. If they do go out, we want them to mask up. We want them to physically distance. We want them to wash their hands." said Ducey.
"We’ve slowed this virus before in Arizona. The time is upon us now to slow it again. I want everyone to have a safe celebration over Independence Day weekend, but please do it with your family in the safest possible way." he continued.
The Vice President's visit comes on the same day the state broke records for both new cases and virus-related deaths. The Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS) confirmed 4,878 new cases. It's the first time the state has seen new cases surpass 4,000 in one day.
AZDHS also reported 88 more deaths. That too sets a tragic record for most lives lost to the virus in day. Other alarming new highs included 2,876 hospitalizations and 1,289 ER visits for positive or suspected virus infections.
On Monday, Governor Doug Ducey put the state's reopening plans on pause so it can deal with the prolonged increase in cases. Ducey ordered all bars, gyms, and movie theaters to close for at least 30-days. He also postponed the start of in-person classes at the state's schools until August 17 at the earliest.
Pence originally planned to meet with Gov. Ducey in Yuma after a campaign event in Tucson. The Trump campaign canceled that plan "out of an overabundance of caution." The White House then quickly rescheduled the Vice President's Arizona trip to include only the Phoenix meeting with the governor and state health officials.
Stay with KYMA.com, News 11 and CBS 13 for continuing coverage of the Vice President's visit.
