County health officials will monitor COVID-19 progress and recommendations on revamped webpage
May 27, 2020
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Read More NewsPima County has updated a webpage allowing health officials to monitor the criteria that must be met in order reduce physical distancing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The criteria are spelled out on the County’s Back to Business website at pima.gov/B2B.
The progress report reviews three overarching criteria: the disease itself, healthcare system capacity and public health tracking and prevention. Three data points fall under each criterion.
Indicators on what must move each of those data points from red (not met) to green (met) is spelled out in detail. With the May 27 update, only one of nine data points remains red.
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The disease data will be judged on whether cases are decreasing over 14 days, deaths are decreasing over 14 days and if hospitalizations are decreasing.
Similarly, healthcare system capacity will gauge the availability and utilization of lab testing, hospital bed capacity and the availability of personal protective equipment. Public health tracking and prevention will review the timely investigation of cases, testing of symptomatic contacts within 48 hours and the statewide availability of facilities and support for patients who can’t be discharged home.
Data pulled from the Arizona Department of Health Services will drive decision-making by County health officials on whether each criterion has been met, is in progress or has not been met. That will enable them to recommend whether the public should continue, modify or discontinue certain behaviors.
County health officials plan to update the page regularly. Keeping the public up to date on the phased resumption of business is part of the County’s overall Back to Business plan.
Following the April 21 meeting of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry established a reopening Steering Committee called Pima County Back-to-Business (PCB2B) involving all sectors that have been affected by the various shelter-in-place Executive Orders and directives. Huckelberry leads the Steering Committee with University of Arizona President Bobby Robbins.
Members of the Steering Committee, which includes representatives of restaurants, resorts, hotels, chambers of commerce, gyms, daycares and many other industries, worked with County officials to adopt rules for reopening that were adopted via Proclamation by the County Board of Supervisors at its May 21 meeting. Read the proclamation.
“We all want nothing more than to get back to normal,” Dr. Francisco Garcia, Pima County’s chief medical officer and assistant county administrator, said. “But we have to do that safely and cautiously. This webpage will enable members of the public to monitor exactly where we are in terms of meeting the criteria that will drive our decisions on doing what’s best for all members of our community.”