News summary: closer look at PPP loans in AZ, experts say asylum change would not protect public health
Case 190 794 | Death 4,383 | Diagnostic tests 1,056,770
As of Thursday, August 13, the state reported 1,351 new cases of the novel coronavirus and 36 additional deaths. According to state data, on August 12, beds and ventilators in intensive care units saw a slight increase in use, although they have generally been on a downward trend in recent weeks.
Almost 20,000 Arizona Businesses Received Federal P3 Loans
AZPM
The Paycheck Protection Program has helped tens of thousands of businesses large and small in Arizona more easily weather the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program, overseen by the federal Small Business Administration and administered by the banks, was part of the $ 2,000 billion CARES relief bill approved by Congress in late March.
In Arizona, 19,270 loans were made in April and May. These loans ranged from less than $ 150,000 to $ 10 million. The most common loan amount in Arizona was under $ 150,000, with 7,944 of those loans made in Arizona, according to the SBA. Of the 11,326 remaining loans in the state, the most common amount was between $ 150,000 and $ 350,000.
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Ducey disappointed with the cancellation of PAC-12
AZPM
Fall sports are on hold at PAC-12 schools like the University of Arizona and Arizona State University, which has upset the Govt fan. Doug Ducey.
“Over time, one vaccine at one point, lower positivity, faster testing, we could have done all kinds of things to alleviate it from a fan or watcher’s perspective,” Ducey said. “Some sports are non-contact and they were also canceled, so I was disappointed with the decision.”
Ducey said the loss of fall college sports at two of the state’s largest universities means lost tax revenue for the state. President Trump urges college sports, especially football, to be played in the fall.
Health experts: proposed asylum change would not protect both public health and human rights
AZPM
The Trump administration has asked for public comment on a proposal to block potential asylum seekers deemed at risk from carrying a communicable disease. The measure is touted as a guarantee against COVID-19 contagion, but public health experts warn the change would deteriorate human rights without curbing the pandemic.
The policy change, proposed and open to public comment by the administration last month, would allow immigration officials to turn back asylum seekers who come or have traveled to countries where communicable diseases are present.
Joanna Naples-Mitchell, of the health advocacy group Physicians for Human Rights, said the proposal was the latest in a long line of drastic changes to the immigration system. But she said it was particularly dangerous to portray asylum seekers as a threat to public safety.
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AU President Robbins optimistic about COVID-19 university test results
AZPM
University of Arizona President Robert Robbins said more than 1,200 AU students have been tested for the coronavirus and only one has tested positive. He made this update during Thursday’s briefing on college’s back-to-school plans.
Robbins says he hopes the results show the students are making good choices about their health. “Maybe these students have already had the virus or have done a great job following the rules, and we hope they will continue to follow the rules when they come back to our campus,” he said. he declares.
So far, the AU has only tested students living off campus on a voluntary basis. Starting Friday, the university will begin compulsory testing for all students who plan to live in dormitories on campus.
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The Covid Watch app is part of the UA re-entry plan
AZPM
Some time before the first wave of 5,000 students return to the AU campus on August 24, the Covid Watch Arizona app will be rolled out to the Apple and Android app stores. It tracks how often the phone owner comes into close contact with other users of the same app, so if any of them test positive for the coronavirus, other users can be notified.
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology Chief Joyce Schroeder said the Covid Watch Arizona app records unique Bluetooth codes from other people’s phones nearby so those people can be notified if the owner is positive for the coronavirus. .
Schroeder says the app is in the final testing phase. It will be free and anonymous, says Schroeder, but it depends on a high level of community acceptance.
The app has caught the attention of national health authorities.
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Arizona officials concerned about potential measures on Mexican products
Fronteras Office
Most of the Arizona congressional delegation is concerned about potential US action against imports of Mexican goods.
The two Arizona senators and seven representatives signed a recent letter to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. In it, they say the alleged potential seasonality arrangements could raise the price of tomatoes and hurt the industry’s massive importation of products of critical importance to Nogales, Arizona.
But Nogales distributor Jaime Chamberlain says the problem is bigger than tomatoes, and some U.S. growers are calling for action against many imports of Mexican products.
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Sonora capital Hermosillo further eases COVID-19 restrictions
Fronteras Office
The week-long curfew on vehicle travel will be lifted and many non-essential businesses will be allowed to reopen at reduced capacity, after showing they comply with new security measures in the event of a pandemic.
The changes aim to support a responsible and gradual economic reopening, according to a copy of the decree. It also claims that the previous measures are no longer justified by the occupancy rate of hospitals.
Cinemas, gymnasiums, bars, nightclubs and casinos, among several other businesses and venues, are to remain closed, according to the order.
Hundreds of new cases of COVID-19 are still confirmed daily in Sonora, as well as several dozen new deaths, which have been heavily concentrated in the capital in recent days.
Arizona reports 1,351 more virus cases, 36 more deaths
PA
PHOENIX – Arizona health officials are reporting 1,351 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 36 additional deaths. Figures reported by the Department of Health Services on Thursday brought the state’s totals to 190,794 confirmed cases with 4,383 deaths.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University analyzed by The Associated Press, the 7-day moving averages of daily new cases in Arizona and daily deaths in Arizona have both fallen in the past two weeks.
The number of infections is believed to be much higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest that people can get infected with the virus without feeling sick.
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In Arizona, groups target 1 million voters to oust Trump
PA
PHOENIX – A coalition of voting rights groups in Arizona have come together with the ambitious goal of getting 1 million people to vote against President Donald Trump in November.
The new group, Mi AZ, was launched Thursday with a car rally outside state government offices in Phoenix. He targets voters under 35 as well as people of color, hoping to defeat Trump in what is increasingly seen as a competitive battleground state.
The campaign comes as voter registration efforts have been hampered by the pandemic, forcing groups across the country to use phones and the internet instead of approaching people in person to try to get them registered.
Arizona homeowners ask High Court to overturn eviction ban
PA
PHOENIX – Homeowner advocacy groups are fighting Governor Doug Ducey’s moratorium on evictions of people who haven’t paid rent because they’ve fallen ill or lost income from the coronavirus.
The Arizona Multihousing Association, the Manufactures Housing Communities of Arizona and several individual landlords filed a special action with the Arizona State Supreme Court on Wednesday. They argue that the moratorium violates the separation of powers of the state constitution and its contractual clause.
A representative for rental property owners said that five months after the ban was first imposed, landlords are “at a breaking point.”
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Navajo loses latest offer to delay federal execution
PA
FLAGSTAFF – A judge has rejected the offer of the only Native American on death row to postpone his execution date. U.S. District Judge David Campbell in Arizona released his ruling on Thursday.
Lawyers for Lezmond Mitchell had argued that federal enforcement must comply with Arizona law to seek the delay. Campbell said lawyers had not identified any procedures in Arizona laws or criminal rules that would conflict with federal protocol regarding how Mitchell would die. Mitchell’s attorneys have said they will appeal. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment.
Mitchell is to be put to death on August 26 in Indiana.
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Excessive heat to cook the southwestern United States until next weekend
PA
PHOENIX – Excessive heat is expected in the southwestern United States early next week, with forecasters warning of temperatures above 110 degrees in desert cities such as Phoenix and Las Vegas.
High temperatures are expected to be the norm through Monday in much of Arizona, and the National Weather Service said high temperature records could be broken in central and eastern New Mexico. Temperatures were expected to reach 114 degrees in Phoenix on Friday and Saturday and 113 degrees in Las Vegas on Sunday.
The 5 day forecast can be described by one word … HOT! Temperatures warm to about 114 ° by Friday and stay there for a while.
Excessive heat monitoring begins Wednesday in Phoenix and Thursday in most of the lower deserts, and is now in effect through Monday. #azwx #cawx pic.twitter.com/70sKN8sIUI
– NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhenix) Aug 11, 2020
