The United States set a record this week for new coronavirus cases over a seven-day period with more than a half-million infections. According to data from Johns Hopkins, an American is testing positive every 1.2 seconds. Death rates are also climbing – one American is dying of COVID-19 every 107 seconds. There's no way to sugarcoat this. We are facing an urgent crisis. Cases in Arizona are rising, too, and we are now in the “moderate” zone of infections. But, this is not time to panic! We can mitigate the community spread of this virus by adhering to the now-familiar guidelines of public health experts. Wear a mask. Keep socially distant. Wash your hands often. We must do all these things if we want to keep safe and get ahead of this virus. The fall and winter holiday season is particularly crucial, as we want to be around our families and friends. We will be offering you guidance in the coming weeks about how to stay safe, but it's not too soon to start thinking about how you want to protect yourself. Your health and safety are our top priority.
On Tuesday, Oct. 27, we tested 268 staff members as part of our testing program. We received negative results for 266 staff and two samples were not useable, so the two staff members will be retested. Earlier this week, we were informed that a server in Plaza View tested positive; this individual is at home quarantining and contract tracing for possible exposures is being conducted. The resident and staff member who tested positive earlier this month are both out of the hospital and continue to recover. Our prayers are with them.
Nationwide, nearly 40 percent of registered voters – over 75 million Americans – have already voted. In Arizona, almost 50 percent of registered voters have voted. This has been a record year for voting! This election is one of the most consequential elections we have had in recent memory, so I urge you, if you have not turned in your ballot, please do so. If you prefer to vote in person on election day, please take necessary precautions. If you received a mail-in ballot, it is too late to mail it. You will need to take your ballot to any voting location or drop it in a secure ballot-drop box by 7PM on Tuesday, November 3rd. You can find locations at the Arizona Voter information Portal (https://my.arizona.vote/WhereToVote.aspx?s=address). thank you for voting.
If you have any questions or comments, please be sure to reach out to [email protected].
Please stay safe.
My best,
Michelle Just, President and CEO
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