Mesa Youth Sports photo
By Joshua Bowling and Alison Steinbach | Arizona Republic
Mesa will allow sports tournaments, but the mayor said rules would be strict. “The time for gentle persuasion is over,” the he said of enforcement.
Several larger Valley suburbs are not following Phoenix’s lead in canceling youth sports tournaments as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge in Arizona.
Related: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema spoke on impact of COVID-19 on Arizona music venues at Senate hearing
Mesa, Gilbert, Glendale, Scottsdale and Avondale continue to allow youth sports tournaments, although city leaders say they are taking steps to mitigate the spread of the virus that has killed more than 7,500 people in Arizona and has hospitalized more than 3,800 people on Tuesday, a record high since the pandemic began. Surprise will host one tournament in December and Chandler will continue to host tournaments already on the books through mid-December, but aren’t accepting new reservations.
Public health officials had raised concerns after Phoenix and surrounding cities allowed youth soccer and other sports to hold tournaments over Thanksgiving weekend.
Mesa Mayor John Giles says closing fields isn’t off the table.
