After two years, Gov. Doug Ducey has ended Arizona’s state of emergency for COVID-19. He notes cases and hospitalizations have significantly declined in the state.
“Thanks to the hard work of many — health care workers, businesses, public and private sector employees — COVID-19 is no longer an emergency in Arizona,” Ducey said in a press release. “This virus isn’t completely gone, but because of the vaccine and other life-saving measures, today we are better positioned to manage and mitigate it. COVID-19 challenged us in ways we never could’ve imagined. No corner of our state — no corner of our country or the world — was spared. But we met that challenge head on by prioritizing lives, livelihoods and individual liberties. The time is right to move forward.”
Ducey declared the state of emergency on March 11, 2020. The declaration directed the Arizona Department of Health Services to manage the state’s response to the virus. Ducey also cited his emergency powers when he issued numerous executive orders over the past two years, including restrictions on businesses and limits on virus mitigation measures in public schools or universities.
One piece of the emergency declaration will remain in place — thousands of temporary health care workers who came to the state during the pandemic will have licenses extended through Jan. 1, 2023 under a bill Ducey signed recently.
→ 'There's so many people who have lost so much': Arizona's COVID-19 death rate is 2nd-highest in U.S.
