Local Health Officials Say When Reopening Takes Place, Safety Guidelines Have To Stay In Place

The state health department recently released benchmarks for schools, as well as gyms, bars, theaters and more. Dr. John Mougin, Chief Quality Officer with Northern Arizona Healthcare says the benchmarks are a good thing, but what we do after places start to reopen will be the story. He says the numbers say we are improving on the fight against COVID-19. “We’re heading in the right direction,” Mougin says. “We are getting closer every week to meeting those benchmarks.” His question is what will happen after we begin to reopen. Mougin says, “we are going to have to test those waters at some point and hopefully we’ve learned from the past that we do it in a smart way.” He adds, “just because we are going to reopen, doesn’t mean we lose the masks and lose the precautions. If we do it and keep those other things in place, I think we will do better this time around.” Flagstaff Medical Center says they are still seeing patients from around the state via the surge line, but not as many as in weeks past. In regards to the flu, studies show that in the southern hemisphere, there is a smaller flu season, which could lead to one in the U.S.