By Rachel Leingang and Alison Steinbach | Arizona Republic
Arizona is entering its first phase of reopening after Gov. Doug Ducey said the state meets White House guidelines and it is time to “turn that dial on the economy.”
Those White House guidelines establish three phases of reopening after certain conditions are met on coronavirus case numbers, hospitalizations and testing.
“This is a green light to continue going forward on the way out of this pandemic,” Ducey said at a news conference Tuesday. “Now, this is not a green light to speed. This is a green light to proceed, and we’re going to proceed with caution.”
Each phase gradually opens more social activities. If the numbers don’t rebound after two weeks, the state then can move into the next phase, according to the guidelines.
But absolutes are elusive, both for state data and the White House guidelines.