Tucson City Council Approves Curfew To Curb Coronavirus Spread

TUCSON, AZ — Tucson will be under a nightly curfew starting Friday after the City Council took action Tuesday evening.

The council voted unanimously to institute a citywide curfew until Dec. 23 as coronavirus cases continue to rise in the area and across Arizona. The curfew will prohibit residents from being on public streets and in public places from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. every night. Exceptions will be made for essential activities, anyone going to work and the homeless population.

Mayor Regina Romero convened the special meeting of the council after consulting with public health officials.

“We have to take additional steps as mayor and council to make sure that we’re protecting our community,” Romero said during the special meeting. “I know that we’re all very exhausted by this pandemic, but as elected representatives of our community, we do have a moral obligation to act.”

The Tucson Police Department is expected to give curfew breakers a citation before any drastic action is taken. Pima County is already under a voluntary curfew, but this one will be mandatory.

The council initially considered a curfew starting at 8 p.m. but moved it later out of consideration for local businesses that will be impacted.

The Arizona Department of Health Services recorded 944 new cases in Pima County on Tuesday, making it the highest single-day case count since the pandemic began. Hospitalizations and ICU bed occupancy are also nearing capacity.

“We have to set up a tool with enough flexibility that we don’t infringe on our values and freedoms, but also promote the protection of public health,” Councilman Paul Cunningham said. “And it’s a hard thing to balance. But we can’t stand around when we know that we’re expected to see a huge spike in cases and hospitalizations over the next three weeks.”

The council also approved millions in economic relief for struggling families and small businesses using its remaining federal CARES Act funds. Of those funds, $3 million will go to small businesses, $2 million will go to workers and families, $750,000 will be distributed to arts and entertainment venues, and $250,000 will be handed out for child care, according to the Arizona Daily Star. Tucsonans will have the opportunity to apply for grants to receive the funds, to be announced this week.

The council also approved $4 million for coronavirus testing at the Morris K. Udall Center, El Pueblo Center and other sites around town. That leaves Tucson with $2 million in federal emergency funds.

A research team from the nearby University of Arizona also recently called on Gov. Doug Ducey to institute a statewide mask mandate and a three-week shutdown. Ducey has said he will not take action on masks, as the majority of the state has local mandates in place.

Without such steps, "it would be akin to facing a major forest fire without evacuation orders," members of the COVID Modeling Team at the University of Arizona said in a letter Friday to the state's department of health.

This article originally appeared on the Tucson Patch