John --

Good morning, and welcome to another stay-at-home update of our weekly update. I hope you and your family are staying safe and well during these difficult times.

I recorded our weekly video update this morning – you can watch the video on my Facebook page here.

I also joined two business groups last week via video for updates on ways we are helping small businesses and my outlook for the rest of the legislative session. You can watch my interview with the Arizona Chamber of Commerce here, and my interview with the Chandler Chamber of Commerce here.

We are continuing to monitor the number of COVID-19 cases here in our community. Below are the updated numbers, as of yesterday, for cases for the zip codes in Legislative District 18, along with the change in case numbers compared to last Monday:

85044: 16 (+1)

85045: 6-10 (+0)

85048: 26 (+2)

85202: 81 (+52)

85224: 62 (+19)

85226: 17 (+1)

85282: 26 (+5)

85283: 20 (+6)

85284: 6-10 (+4)

Now, some of these zip codes cover a larger area geographically, so it’s not a perfect comparison between each. 85048, for example covers about two thirds of Ahwatukee, and 85224 covers a large section of Chandler, while 85284 only covers a small portion of south Tempe.

The overall case number for the state continues to climb, with over 4,500 cases statewide as of this weekend. One month ago, it was fewer than 100.

I’m receiving a lot of questions about when we think the legislative session will re-convene, and everything I’m hearing right now points to the first week of May, potentially Monday, May 4^th, which would be two weeks from today. No indications yet as to what that means. It could either mean a virtual session, like other states are doing, or in-person voting and activity, which would certainly require some protocols to ensure that members and staff are safe.

I did receive word last week that two of the committees I sit on, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) and the Joint Committee on Capital Review (JCCR), are in fact meeting next Wednesday, April 29^th. It will be a virtual meeting over Zoom, however. We are required to meet every quarter, and there are infrastructure projects around the state that we have to approve before they can begin construction.

I’m receiving lots of questions from constituents about various facets of the federal response to this crisis. Please keep them coming! One of the most common questions is about the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) small business loan program, which consists of $350 billion to go to small businesses to help meet payroll.

As you may have heard, the fund has been completely doled out, but there are signs that Congress will approve a second round of funding of anywhere from $250 billion to $300 billion. I’ve heard from many small businesses that applied for the loans but were not successful in receiving a share of the funds.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has thankfully put together a list of approved lenders in Arizona and whether or not they are accepting new clients. This list should be extremely helpful as the fund receives new dollars and businesses can apply again in the next couple of weeks.

I’m also starting to receive questions about when we should open up our economy, in an attempt to “go back to normal.” It’s going to take quite some time to get back to normal, because of the strength of this virus and how easily it can be passed from one person to another, sometimes without knowing it.

The president last week outlined steps that states should consider for re-opening the economy in phases, and what those phases could look like. It’s important to note here that the governor has the sole authority to issue executive orders and what businesses are considered “essential.”

My number one focus as a senator here is to protect the public health and safety of my constituents, and all Arizonans. I’ve seen what has happened in other countries that opened up their economies too soon, and ended up with a second wave of new cases. I’m a data person, and I like having data and updated information in front of me before making decisions. The number of statewide cases is increasing daily, with no real deviation in the trend line over the last couple of weeks.

The most important factor in determining when to re-open parts of our economy is the number of tests being conducted per day. As of this morning, there have been 54,500 tests conducted *in total* in Arizona since this pandemic started. With a state of over 7 million people, this is simply not enough to ensure that the people who need the tests are getting them, and that people who are carrying the virus but don’t know it can get tested before they unknowingly pass it on others.

So until we rapidly speed up the amount of testing throughout the state, there will continue to be concern about opening up the economy too soon. I know the governor and his staff share this mindset as well. It’s time that we listen to the medical and health experts, and continue to monitor the data and carefully consider the public health of our citizenry before we make decisions that will impact the over seven million residents that call our state home.

I’ve been encouraged when I go on walks, hikes, and trips to the grocery store and seeing more and more people wearing masks and keeping their distance between others. This has no doubt helped slow the number of cases. We all want to return to some sense of normal, but doing so too quickly could result in more pain and *longer* sheltering in place than if we take measures now.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

A reminder that the state’s one stop shop for relief measures, including information about unemployment benefits, housing assistance, Medicaid, and more, can be found at: https://arizonatogether.org

The Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS) website has a site that is being updated daily with information on the number of cases, including by ZIP code: https://www.azdhs.gov/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/infectious-disease-epidemiology/index.php

The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES), which covers SNAP benefits, unemployment benefits, and other forms of economic assistance, has a resource page here: https://des.az.gov/services/coronavirus

If you or someone you know needs assistance from a local food bank, you can find a directory of resources here: https://www.azfoodbanks.org/index.php/foodbank/

Our Arizona 211 hotline is back up and running and is a great resource. https://211arizona.org/

As I discussed in last week’s update, I really recommend going on daily walks if you can, especially before the weather gets too hot. It’s good to get out of the house and clear your mind with everything that is going on around us. Hikes are also a great option if you can. We are incredibly blessed to have South Mountain so close by, and I’m hitting the trails at least once a week in off peak times when the trails are mostly empty. Highly recommended if you can!

As always, please reach out to me directly if I can be helpful with anything, or if you have any questions about our state and federal response. Please continue to check my social media feeds each week for more updates.

We are all in this together, and will come out of it together. Stay safe, and take care.

-Sean

http://www.seanbowieforaz.com/