By Chris Caraveo
Twitter: @ChrisCaraveo31

As the number of cases of COVID-19 rise in Arizona, some places in Sun City are shutting down for the forseeable future.

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, 18 people have tested positive for the new coronavirus as of Monday, March 16.

According to its website, eight are in Maricopa County, five are in Pinal County, four are in Pima County, and one is in Graham County.

Several of the newly presumptive cases were found through testing from a commercial laboratory, not a state lab.

The DHS updated its website to reflect the number of people tested at its public health laboratory is 200, with 125 ruled out and 63 pending.

The Department of Public Health announced four new cases in Maricopa County. They are a man in his 20s who is recovering in isolation at home, a man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s who are in isolation at home, and a male in his 80s who is hospitalized.

While not confirmed, Independent Newsmedia has asked officials about letters to staff and residents of a senior living facility in Sun City that alerted them of possibly being exposed to a person who tested positive for COVID-19.

When asked in a conference call, Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, director of the MCDPH, said it is not necessary to release the city where a positive case lives.

“No matter what city you live in, there are cases of COVID-19,” Dr. Sunenshine said. “That’s why you have to change your daily habits.”

She said the number of cases reported vastly underestimates how many cases there are in the county because of limited testing.

While commercial lab testing is available, it is not widely available. Dr. Sunenshine expects test numbers to increase as commercial testing becomes more available.

Only those experiencing upper respiratory symptoms like a cough or fever are recommended to get tested. Anyone who is tested will have to attest that they are symptomatic and agree to self-isolate at home at least 72 hours after their symptoms are gone.

Dr. Sunenshine said Maricopa County is in the minimal to moderate category level of threat, with minimal the first level and substantial the worst.

The AZDHS said via Twitter that it recently expanded testing to third-party entities. Those labs are not required to disclose testing numbers.

“We have updated our reporting to display only positive cases identified in Arizona across all testing labs to provide accurate testing:confirmation figures [sic],” the agency tweeted.

Sun City facilities close

On Monday, March 16, the Recreation Centers of Sun City Board of Directors in an executive session decided to close its recreation centers until further notice effective Tuesday, March 17 as of each facility’s respective closing time.

Sun Bowl facilities, softball facilities and Duffeeland Dog Park will close until further notice effective 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 17.

The Sun City Visitors Center is closed until further notice effective 4 p.m. Monday, March 16.

Bowling facilities will be closed until further notice upon closing on Tuesday, March 17.

MORE: Sun City orgs, groups shutting down for the forseeable future

Until further notice, all golf courses as of Sunday, March 22 will be converted to straight sheets in order to have the least number of golfers together at the same time. All tee times will be made online or via the telephone until further notice.

A 3-cart rule will temporarily be eliminated until further notice. No shotgun tournaments are allowed until further notice.

Snack shops will be open for “to go” orders only and no one will be allowed to congregate or sit on the patios or in the snack shops. Until further notice, only canned or bottled drinks and pre-packaged foods/snacks will be available for sale.

Events have been canceled, with some possibly being rescheduled.

Board Meetings and Committee Meetings — excluding Mountain View Ad-Hoc Committee — will be canceled until further notice.

Personnel will continue to report to work or as temporarily assigned until further notice.

The Board of the Classic Rock Dance Club in Sun City on Sunday had already decided to cancel dances until further notice. They had been expecting to celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day holiday with a dance on March 21.

“We feel we cannot take a chance of one of our members/guests getting sick or worse on our watch,” club Board member Donna Schwitz stated over Facebook. “Our responses have been positive and they all agree and support our decision.”

Around the Valley

Sun City Grand and the Recreation Centers of Sun City West have already taken measures to limit access to their facilities.

Multiple municipalities in Maricopa County have also taken steps to limit community spread by canceling or postponing events, programs and services. The city of Surprise has said core services are not expected to be affected, such as fire-medical, police, trash, water and other essential city services.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman announced a statewide closure of schools in Arizona through March 27, after a number of districts had already called to stop classes. Some universities are shifting to online instruction.

Over the weekend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended large gatherings of 50 or more people be canceled or postponed. This does not apply to day-to-day operations of organizations like businesses.

On Monday, March 16, President Donald Trump urged people to avoid groups of more than 10 individuals. People should also avoid bars or restaurants for 15 days.

Despite that, Dr. Sunenshine recommended stopping meetings of 50 or more, per the CDC. This includes conferences, weddings, festivals, and sporting events.

Banner Health hoping to test

Dr. Marjorie Bessel, chief clinical officer at Banner Health, says staff is working to treat any patients with COVID-19 similar to other respiratory illnesses like influenza, although an exact treatment or cure is not available.

Banner Health serves multiple states, including Arizona, with hospitals in Sun City, Sun City West and other parts of Maricopa County.

Banner Health is hoping to have additional testing capabilities later this week.

“This is not a one-week activity for us, in Arizona or the United States,” Dr. Bessel said, adding officials could potentially be dealing with COVID-19 for 12-18 months.

If anyone is concerned about symptoms, call ahead, whether a primary care provider or other source, before coming into a healthcare facility.

Dr. Bessel said one of the most important people can do if they do go in with symptoms is to wear a mask before or upon entering. This helps reduce staff’s risk of exposure to any illnesses.

For most people, COVID-19 causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

Dr. Bessel said 80% of people who become infected will have mild symptoms but can be cared for at home and don’t need to come in for services. But for those other 20%, they could require hospitalization, ICU care and/or ventilatory support.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

Those who feel sick are encouraged to stay home, limit contact with others, not travel, cover mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing, and wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or with alcohol-based sanitizer.

People are also advised to eat well, stay hydrated, exercise and continue to move, and get plenty of sleep so their bodies are less stressed.

CVS Health recommended the following actions to help relieve symptoms if you or someone you know are mildly sick:

• Take pain and fever medications. Ask your pharmacist how they may interact with any medications you currently take. Caution: The CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend not giving aspirin to children.
• Use a room humidifier or take a hot shower to help ease a sore throat and cough.
• Drink plenty of liquids.
• Stay home and rest.

The Arizona Poison Control System is available to take COVID-19 calls from Arizona providers and the general public at 1-844-542-8201.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Editor's Note: The Arizona DHS on Tuesday, March 17 announced two new cases in the state, bringing the total to 20.