Ariz. lifts business capacity, restrictions statewide
MESA, AZ – OCTOBER 19: Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey spoke during a rally for President Donald Trump at the International Air Response facility on October 19, 2018 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 5:20 PM PT – Friday, March 5, 2021
Arizona is joining other red states in easing some coronavirus restrictions statewide. On Friday, Gov. Doug Ducey (R-Ariz.) announced he’s lifting capacity limits on restaurants, bars, gyms, theaters, water parks and bowling alleys.
Our latest guidance continues that approach. Today, I’m issuing an Executive Order that expires occupancy limits on businesses in Arizona, while preserving the distancing and masking mitigation measures that our businesses have successfully implemented in this pandemic. 4/5
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) March 5, 2021
The order also allows Major League Baseball to hold spring training and prevents municipal leaders from implementing any strict public health measures that could lead to business closures.
Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, cited a seven week decline in new cases and the distribution of over two million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“So I work very closely with the governor’s team on these mitigation strategies, and really felt that the mitigation strategies that we had outlined in our documents for each of those individual establishments could be maintained without the capacity limits,” Christ stated.
While a statewide mask mandate was never imposed in Arizona, local government mandates and social distancing requirements will remain unchanged.