New early data suggest that the Pima County and Tucson mask requirements may be making a dent in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the region.
There is now evidence that new cases have begun to level off in the two weeks following the implementation of mandated mask usage in those circumstances where physical distancing is not possible. Likewise, hospital surveillance data suggest that the number of patients presenting with COVID-like symptoms in local emergency departments is also trending down.
The time from when a person is infected with COVID-19, starts to show symptoms, gets tested, and receives their results can take up to several weeks. Therefore, it can take just as long before the effects of policies aimed at controlling the spread of COVID-19 take root.
“Pima County is doing a really great job with facemasks. It’s such a simple thing to do to show kindness and help protect everybody in Pima County, even you,” said Dr. Francisco Garcia, Deputy County Administrator and Chief Medical Officer of Pima County. “We are by no means out of the woods, however these data provide us all the encouragement to continue with high levels of mask usage.”
While the decrease in new cases is welcome news, community transmission of COVID-19 is still impacting the County. The Health Department still advises to avoid the Three C’s: Closed spaces with poor ventilation, crowded places with many people, and close-contact settings, like a close-range conversation.
“It’s about layering protections. Washing your hands, physically distancing, and wearing a mask all stack on top of each other to provide increased protection than any one action alone,” Garcia said. “Keep doing all of those public health practices you’ve been hearing about, and show us your mask.”
The most recent data is available at
www.pima.gov/cov, click on “Data & Statistics.”