Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego was on CBS’s "Face The Nation" Sunday to give an assessment of the coronavirus in the city.
Positivity rates are above 20 percent, and the city sets records for ventilator and acute care bed use by COVID-19 patients. But the announcement of additional testing resources is some good news amid all the negative numbers.
“We continue to have a real challenge of testing, but there was some very good news about additional resources that are coming," Gallego said. "There was a little bit of flattening in the rate of growth ... so maybe too early to celebrate and we don’t have a trend yet, but I’m looking for positive news.”
Gallego began requesting Federal testing assistance in April. As of last week, however, the federal government announced it would create a large-scale testing site in the city.
"It came up at the White House press briefing this week, I think the term they used for me was 'out-of-tune'," Gallego said. "But the good news is they did finally decide they are going to be bringing that federal testing to our community, and it can't come a moment too soon."
If she had the authority, she would order a temporary pause on dine-in services at restaurants, and delay the opening of schools, she said.
"We do not have a statewide requirement for facial coverings in Arizona, and we need one," she said. "We would love to see additional protections including moving restaurants completely to take-out. We're now seeing many of those elected [school board] leaders say 'we can't open until at least October with the levels of the virus so pronounced in our community."
