Honestly, the Order Won’t Impact Anything in the Field
The Governor signed an executive order today that tweaks some of the existing mitigation expectations in Arizona. His Order officially eliminates the capacity limits and the guidance for business document that had been placed on bars and restaurants .
The Mitigation Executive Order says that he is rescinding the capacity limits that had supposedly been in place for the last few months (bars and restaurants were supposed to be at 50% of their fire code limit). Also rescinded are the other ADHS business requirements in the business guidance document.
To be honest with you – it’s really no big deal.
Why, you ask? Because those mitigation ‘requirements’ were just on paper anyway. They were never enforced by the ADHS and for all practical purposes never really existed. Businesses have been and will continue to do what they think their customers expect. They have known for many months that they don’t actually have to follow the mitigation measures ‘required’ by ADHS- because there has never been any enforcement.
Among the tens of thousands of bars, restaurants, and nightclubs that have been violating the ADHS capacity limits and other mitigation ‘requirements’ over the last 6 months there have been less than 20 enforcement actions (and those only happened when a video went viral on Twitter).
Basically, there never have been any enforced limits in Arizona since summer. The Governor’s EO makes it seem like those capacity limits and other requirements actually existed, when for all practical matters, they never did exist.
At least Director Christ and Governor Ducey are finally being honest that there isn’t any mitigation.
An open question remains what will happen at big sports venues like Suns games and DBacks games when they start. The Order says that those franchises need to turn in a mitigation plan to the ADHS but we have no idea what they will approve.
Probably just about anything that Mr. Kendrick or Sarver submit.
