Arizona Gov. signs bill to limit enforcement of mask use

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill into law that will limit mask mandates, and health experts say this will cause issues down the line in the health care industry.

Florida woman accused of coughing on cancer patient gets 30 days in jail

A Florida woman whose image went viral when after an incident at a Pier 1 store last year has been sentenced to 30 days in jail. Debra Hunter is accused of coughing on a customer in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Navajo Nation president balks at reopening tribal roads to visitors

Nez said that he vetoed the resolution approved by the Navajo Nation Council because COVID-19 variants are spreading in the region and because more people need to be vaccinated “to move closer to herd immunity and this will take time.”

Arizona reports over 4M doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered

Over 2.5 million people — over a third of the state’s population — have received at least one dose and over 1.6 million people are fully vaccinated.

Fans return to Downtown Phoenix for Diamondbacks home opener

It's been more than a year since fans were able to attend baseball games in person, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, fans are returning to Downtown Phoenix to cheer on the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Arizona businesses won’t have to enforce mask mandates after Gov. Ducey signs new bill

Advocates of a now-signed bill that allows Arizona businesses to ignore mask mandates say business owners should be allowed to decide for themselves whether to require their customers to follow public health orders issued by cities and counties.

Tempe joins Phoenix, Flagstaff in keeping mask mandate in place

Tempe city officials said they would use COVID-19 vaccine rates and case count data to determine when they would end their mask mandate.

Arizona daily virus count jumps as older cases included

Most of the previously uncounted cases were from the fall and winter surge, and none were from March or April of this year, according to the Arizona Dept. of Health,

Yosemite National Park to limit summer visitors amid ongoing pandemic

Yosemite National Park will require advanced reservations for day visitors during the peak summer season to limit the number of visitors and allow social distancing amid the pandemic.

Japan enacts more coronavirus measures in Tokyo ahead of Summer Olympics

Japan says it will raise the coronavirus alert level in Tokyo to allow tougher measures to curb the rapid spread of a more contagious variant ahead of the Summer Olympics.

Masks and other PPEs being disposed of improperly amid ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

Masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment have been widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to curb the spread of the virus. Most of it is disposable, but much of it is being thrown away in an improper manner.

US suicides fell nearly 6% in 2020, defying COVID-19 pandemic expectations

The number of U.S. suicides fell nearly 6% last year amid the coronavirus pandemic — the largest annual decline in at least four decades, according to preliminary government data.

Health experts worry COVID-19 vaccine skepticism could put herd immunity at risk

Millions of Americans have been vaccinated, but recent polling found that 25% of Americans don’t plan on getting a COVID-19 vaccine, putting the possibility of herd immunity at risk.

Sunlight, humidity ‘unlikely’ impacts on how COVID-19 spreads, Homeland Security study finds

Researchers at the Department of Homeland Security sought to determine how various environmental conditions impact the spread of COVID-19 and other variants and determined that the coronavirus survived in most heat and humidity.

Patchwork of advice emerges on AstraZeneca vaccine

A patchwork of advice is emerging from governments across Europe and elsewhere about the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The EU's drug regulator said a "possible link" exists between the vaccine and a rare clotting disorder.