Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said Wednesday he will not make a decision on the state’s expiring “stay-at-home” order intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus until next week.
The order, which went into effect March 31, is set to expire April 30, next Thursday.
Ducey said he is waiting to make decisions on what comes next for the state to avoid potentially having to reverse them in the future.
Ducey added that there are three possible options when he makes a decision — let the order expire, extend it in its current form or modify it.
“We are going to develop Arizona solutions,” Ducey said in a press conference. “We are going to use the Arizona data that we have and I am going to get input and support from Arizona stakeholders as we do this.”
Pressure to reopen the state following the end of the stay-at-home order has intensified this week.
Hundreds of protesters gathered at the state capitol on Monday calling for Ducey to reopen the state and its economy as soon as possible.
In recent days, other states have announced plans to reopen and have begun loosening social distancing restrictions.
Ducey said decisions made in Arizona will continue to be driven by data.
Arizona has reported over 5,700 coronavirus cases and 249 deaths as of Thursday morning.
It’s going to be important that we focus on the fundamentals that allowed us to get to a position where Arizona today has its arms around the virus,” Ducey said. “It’s prepared us for what comes next.”
“So please keep doing what you are doing because you are doing a great job.”
Click here to read Ducey’s full executive order.