PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA – The Pima County Board of Supervisors, in a 3-2 vote Tuesday, rescinded a resolution from March 19, 2020, that declared a state of emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The emergency declaration authority had allowed the Board to take immediate and urgent actions that included regulating businesses, limiting gatherings and requiring mask wearing in public as cases began to rise, eventually peaking in late December/early January. All those restrictions had already been lifted by state or local actions before Tuesday’s vote.

Pima County Chief Medical Officer Dr. Francisco Garcia told the Board before the vote that this signals a new phase of the pandemic recovery – but that it is not over.

“We have had substantial and sustained improvement in Pima County,” Garcia said.

“I believe it would be safe to lift the emergency declaration. The cases that we’re seeing are cases among unvaccinated individuals, and we continue to work on that population very vigorously and we will continue to move that further. I’m not saying the pandemic is over.”

As of July 6, 69.9 percent of those 18 and over in Pima County had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 61.6 percent were fully vaccinated – meaning two weeks past their second shot of Pfizer or Moderna, or two weeks after the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Pima County began to decrease in mid-January after the rollout of the vaccination effort. County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry wrote in a memo to the Board last week that on Jan. 11, nearly 68 percent of intensive care beds were occupied by COVID patients. That number is now hovering around 5 percent.

Huckelberry also noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week that 99.5 percent of the COVID-19 deaths across the country in the past six months involved unvaccinated individuals.

“I think the message is, if you’re not vaccinated, get vaccinated. The rate of infection is in the hands of those who are unvaccinated,” Huckelberry told the Board on Tuesday.

If COVID-19 cases surge again, the Board can pass a new emergency resolution.

Ample free COVID-19 testing sites and vaccination sites remain available in Pima County.

“We are continuing to emphasize education and increasing access as much as we can into areas that have low vaccine uptake,” said Pima County Health Director Dr. Theresa Cullen. “But right now we are comfortable with the acceleration that we continue to see with our immunizations.”

PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA – The Pima County Board of Supervisors at its July 6 meeting voted 3-2 to resume in-person meetings on Aug. 16, pending the completion of construction currently taking place in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room. Should construction not be completed in August, the first in-person meeting could be postponed until Sept. 7.

The Board also voted 3-2 to add an additional meeting on Aug. 10, which will be held virtually. Members of the public may view the meeting by clicking “Board Meeting Livestream” under the “Quick Links” heading on the County website (www.pima.gov), on Pima County’s Facebook page, or via Cox and Comcast Cable Channel 96. Access can be obtained by contacting the Clerk of the Board’s Office at (520) 724-8449 or emailing: COB_mail@pima.gov.

County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry in a July 1 memo to the Board outlined public health protocols that went into effect July 5 developed in consultation with Dr. Francisco Garcia, deputy county administrator and chief medical officer; and Dr. Theresa Cullen, Health Department director. Those protocols, included on signs placed at the entrances of all County buildings and facilities, include:

• Requesting those who are sick to not enter the building;
• Advising those who are vaccinated that they are not required to wear a mask or practice physical distancing;
• Advising those who are not vaccinated that they are required to wear a mask in the building and follow physical distancing and hygiene protocols; and
• Advising that frequent hand washing and other hygiene practices should be observed

Vaccinated individuals may enter the Board Hearing Room to attend or participate in meetings. Unvaccinated individuals can participate through the lobby of the Administration Building by masking and sitting six feet apart to maintain social distance.

The plexiglass barriers between Board members will be removed, but the barrier at the podium will remain in place. The occupancy limit of the Board Hearing Room will return to its previous Fire Code requirement.

Chandler, Ariz. – Primavera Online School, a public charter school that educates more than 22,000 students in Arizona each year, will be hosting its commencement ceremony for the Class of 2021 on Thursday, July 8. The commencement, which is for seniors and juniors who have met state requirements to graduate from high school, will take place in three separate ceremonies. The first ceremony will start at 9 a.m., with the second and third ceremonies following at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. respectively. Each ceremony will last two hours and will be held at Arizona Federal Theatre, located at 400 West Washington Street in Phoenix, Arizona. The Class of 2021 is Primavera’s largest graduating class yet, with about 1340 graduates—the largest high school graduation class this year and arguably the largest in AZ history.

Primavera’s graduates, along with their friends and family, will attend the in-person graduation ceremonies to celebrate earning an accredited diploma that is recognized by universities, colleges, and employers nationwide. Due to mitigation strategies, each graduate will be allowed up to four guests.

The graduates of the Class of 2021 are graduating during a milestone year for Primavera, as the 2020/21 school year marked the school’s 20th anniversary. Founded in 2001, Primavera provides a tuition-free, accredited online education for students throughout Arizona and prepares them to be college and career ready. For more information about Primavera Online School, visit ChoosePrimavera.com.