The Arizona Department of Health Services recorded another 2,525 new COVID-19 cases July 30, bringing the total number of cases in Arizona to more than 170,000. The department also reported an additional 172 deaths, meaning more than 3,600 Arizonans have now died from COVID-related illness.
While the rate of new cases has slowed some, Arizona remains a hot spot. This has only sustained tensions about when and how students should return to school this fall.
Gov. Ducey and Superintendent Kathy Hoffman announced that school districts can decide their fall start dates. But educators are still waiting for the state department of health to release benchmarks for what that should look like.
At the same time, 150 protesters gathered at the Capitol July 30 to demand schools reopen in-person classes. But, of course, not everyone is on board with that.
In Pima County, the health department says it’s unsafe to return to face-to-face learning in Tucson. They say the soonest in-person learning could resume safely is Labor Day.
To learn more about this announcement, The Show spoke with Dr. Francisco Garcia, the deputy county administrator and chief medical officer for Pima County.
