Photos: In Tucson, face masks are for more than just people
Not all face masks are for people. There are plenty of inanimate objects around Tucson that get the mask treatment – some as humor and some as statement about the times in which we live. Either way, it's a distraction we can live with.
Face masks on objects
A Jeep sports with eyes like those from the movie "Cars" sports a COVID19 mask outside Alpha Graphics near the corner of Tanque Verde and Kolb, Tucson, Ariz., July 3, 2020.
Face masks on objects
The large Tiki head at the entrance of The Hut, 305 N. 4th Ave., wears a mask in response to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Tucson, Ariz., on April 5, 2020.
Face masks on objects
The noted bull testicles on the statue outside Casa Molina at Speedway and Wilmot, usually painted in various schemes and wild colors, are in these CONVID19 times now sporting a face mask, March 27, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Face masks on objects
A dinosaur statue over the doors of MATS Dojo at 5929 E. 22nd St., sports an athletic cup for a face mask in the second week of COVID-19 restrictions, March 31, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Face masks on objects
The venerable T-Rex outside the McDonald's at Grant and Tanque Verde comes around late, but strong, to the mask game, May 13, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Face masks on objects
The iconic Casa Molina bull and matador statue both sported masks on the first full week of the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions in mid-May.
Face masks on objects
Father Kino's horse practice safe social interaction by wearing a mask even if Father Kino himself isn't. The statue sits at Cherry Fields at 15th Street and Kino Boulevard, Saturday, May 2, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Kelly Presnell
Photojournalist
Rebecca Sasnett
Photojournalist
Since the Bighorn Fire started one month ago, the Tucson Wildlife Center has only treated one animal injured by the blaze. But the center's director worries, saying the hard truth is that wildfires kill wildlife.
Those hoping to register online can do so at ServiceArizona.com
You are invited to join us for a special, virtual event Wednesday, July 8 at 4 p.m. as artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities perform personal monologues developed at a storytelling workshop.
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Gov. Doug Ducey is giving an update on COVID-19 in Arizona.
Gov. Doug Ducey said the extension will help keep renters facing financial hardships during the coronavirus pandemic from also having to worry about losing their home.
Gov. Doug Ducey is giving an update on COVID-19 in Arizona.
COVID-19 cases recently declined by 15% from one week to the next in Arizona. Statewide, diagnostic testing also fell, but by 9%. This, along with other metrics, suggests the spread of COVID-19 has started to slow in Arizona.
Arizona governor says Congress must take action to come up with a new benefits plan for the unemployed.
The City of Tucson is moving forward with a plan to expand access to free, public Wi-Fi throughout the city, particularly in areas suffering from a “digital divide.”
Dr. Cara Christ says Arizona has kept fitness centers closed despite recommendations that they could open with certain precautions.
It's everything we wanted," said the attorney representing gyms challenging the closure ordered by Gov. Doug Ducey to help fight the spread of the coronavirus.
Consumers were promised test results much sooner than the days it was often taking Sonora Quest to send them, a letter from the state Attorney General's Office says.
One detail Gov. Doug Ducey wants figured out first is how much it would cost the state per week to cover 25% of a $400 federal benefit for jobless Arizonans.
As of this morning, bars in nine of the state's 15 counties, including Pima, can reopen. But they won't look like they did pre-pandemic. There won't be any dancing, mingling, karaoke or pool. And capacity will be limited to 50%. Movie theaters, gyms and water parks can also open with restrictions.
The university is hiring security personnel to patrol campus and enforce rules and also working with Tucson police to respond to large gatherings off campus.
The spike in COVID-19 cases blew a big hole in how Arizonans think Gov. Doug Ducey is handling the pandemic, according to a new survey.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey's order shuttering bars during COVID-19 remains intact, at least for now, a judge ruled late Tuesday, spurning the owners of more than 100 bars and taverns who tried to block its enforcement.
A provision in a court ruling this week on bars and alcohol sales could end up curtailing business at some Arizona restaurants, which could then lead them to close.
Gov. Doug Ducey has no plans to use state resources to make up for the fact that more than 430,000 Arizonans will soon see their jobless benefits cut by more than half. "It's on Congress,'' he repeated Thursday.
New Pima County cases of the coronavirus started increasing in late August, roughly two weeks after the University of Arizona community returned, prompting the county's chief medical officer to suggest "we're in for a little bit of a rough patch here."
Claiming he botched the state's response to COVID-19, a new group hopes to force a recall election against Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.
Over the weekend, UA's community action team, along with Tucson police and city code inspectors, responded to 17 properties where gatherings of students were taking place and issued 10 red tags, 19 citations and initiated 25 code of conduct violations.
UA officials are working to get the virus to an overall positivity rate of less than 5%. That rate is currently at 6.3%, with more than 2,291 positive tests among students and UA faculty and staff.
Pima and Coconino counties are again at substantial risk for the spread of COVID-19 according to standards set by the Arizona Department of Health Services. But don't look for new restrictions on businesses.
Across Pima County, 25,980 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed, up 55 cases from the day before.
Starting Oct. 12, about 2,500 more UA students will be allowed to switch to in-person instruction for courses with enrollment of 30 or fewer people.
Across Pima County, 26,052 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed, up 72 cases from the day before.
Across Pima County, 26,092 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed, up 40 cases from the day before.
Across Pima County, 26,217 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed, up 125 cases from the day before.
Arizona's top health official testified Thursday she cannot say when the COVID-19 health emergency will be over or when Gov. Doug Ducey will rescind his related orders.
Across Pima County, 26,287 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed, up 70 cases from the day before.
A spike in cases last month was largely contained to areas in and around the University of Arizona campus.
Across Pima County, 26,465 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed, up 63 cases from the day before.
The 1,500 University of Arizona students will join 6,200 students who were attending “essential courses” with in-person classes of 30 or fewer students.
Across Pima County, 26,516 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed, up 51 cases from the day before.
The state's top prosecutor wants a judge to rule that Gov. Doug Ducey is acting illegally in telling police to ignore violations of certain state liquor laws by restaurants.
Across Pima County, 26,632 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed, up 116 cases from the day before.
Across Pima County, 26,727 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed, up 95 cases from the day before.
Across Pima County, 26,769 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed, up 42 cases from the day before.
Before last week, the only in-person classes on campus were those deemed "essential," such as research labs and performing arts.
The Arizona Department of Health Services has decided these activities, which have been forbidden for months under the COVID-19 emergency restrictions, can now be conducted.
Gov. Ducey is holding a media briefing about COVID-19. He is also making an announcement about partnering with food banks as the holiday season begins.
The school remains in a difficult financial situation, but will end the furlough and pay reduction programs early.
The state health director, who is anticipating a spike in COVID-19 cases around the holidays, acknowledged that the fact that a political rally might be constitutionally permitted does not make it safe.
The trust account from which jobless benefits are paid is going broke; Gov. Doug Ducey says an infusion of federal funds means Arizona businesses won't have to pay into it.
It appears the governor is going to ignore the ruling – and allow the restaurants to keep competing illegally with bars – as he contemplates an appeal
Pima County is adding three more drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites.
University of Arizona officials had urged students not to travel home for holiday; classes will be held online through end of semester.
While the long-term impacts of the novel coronavirus are largely unknown, the effects of extended ICU stays and intubation on severely ill patients are alarmingly clear.
Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, says Gov. Doug Ducey's March 11 emergency order has interfered with individual rights.
Although Pima County is continuing its mask mandate in defiance of Gov. Doug Ducey's executive order, some local businesses are making masks optional.
Tucson Unified School District approved the mask rule one day before classes begin. The district is now the third Arizona school district going against a state law that bans mask mandates at public schools.
Pima County residents are now required to wear masks indoors, although there's no real enforcement behind the mandate.
And forget about going to a bar in Arizona, at least for the foreseeable future, the governor's top aide says.
Under pressure from a court order, Gov. Doug Ducey agreed Monday to provide a "roadmap'' to eventually allow not just gyms and fitness centers to reopen but also movie theaters, water parks and some bars.
With remote learning underway, Tucson's largest school district plans to open some campuses to serve high needs special education students, children in foster care, those experiencing homelessness and refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The owners of the giant T. rex in front of the McDonald's at Tanque Verde and Grant in Tucson say the statue isn’t going anywhere, despite a post targeting it on the Facebook page of a group called Christians Against Dinosaurs.
Most Tucson-area resorts reported major layoffs due to COVID-19 but have rehired some workers to serve leisure travelers, as they hope for convention business to rebound.