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Former State Health Director: Elective Procedures Could Resume

The former director of the state Department of Health Services said elective procedures can be allowed to resume in Arizona.

Will Humble said the latest COVID-19 tracking models show that Arizona has enough hospital capacity. Humble said certain operations and joint replacements are still needed, and he thinks Governor Ducey could let hospitals decide whether to do them.

“The elective procedures have been banned by that executive order and that’s a revenue generating part of almost any hospital, especially the rural hospitals,” he said.

Humble said at least a couple more weeks of strong progress in the fight against the coronavirus are needed before other restrictions can be lifted.

Read The Latest News On The Coronavirus Disease

Matthew Casey has won Edward R. Murrow awards for hard news and sports reporting since he joined KJZZ as a senior field correspondent in 2015.