On Tuesday, March 17, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero issued the following statement via Twitter:
I have decided that it is in the best interest of maintaining public health to close restaurants, bars, food courts, gyms, and other venues where groups of people congregate through the end of the month, effective 8pm this evening.
I am joined by @CityofPhoenixAZ in this effort
— Regina Romero (@TucsonRomero) March 17, 2020
In an effort to clarify specifics, another tweet was sent, assuring that restaurants can remain open for to-go and delivery.
This order only applies to dine-in services, not delivery/ take-out. More details to follow. https://t.co/hcL9qSiwUL
— Regina Romero (@TucsonRomero) March 17, 2020
Just moments later, the original tweet was deleted.
It is not clear how the mandate, which is to remain in effect until the end of March, will remain enforced. Also unclear is what kinds of fines businesses face for ignoring the mandate.
The novel coronavirus and COVID-19, as of this writing and according to The Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS), has sickened 20 people, 4 of whom reside in Pima County. There have been no reported deaths in Arizona and 221 people have been tested.
