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December 2, 2020 www.DesertMessenger.com 21 Winter holidays: Impacting AZ COVID-19 cases • Birth • Obituary • Anniversary Place it FREE in the: Desert Messenger! 928-916-4235 Got something to share? Preventing utility shut-offs In response to the COVID-19 pan- demic, various cities and companies suspended utility shut-offs in an effort to help struggling residents. Now, as shut-offs are beginning to resume, residents are being encour- aged to seek fi nancial assistance or work with their utility company to develop a payment plan if they are unable to pay their bills. Contact your utility company as soon as possible if you anticipate being unable to pay your bill for any reason. Your utility company will walk you through available as- sistance options such as setting up a payment plan, applying to one of their programs, or applying for aid through a local agency. Electric Assistance Arizona Public Service (APS) is halting power shutoffs through the end of the year and waiving late fees. Crisis Bill Assistance • Qualifi ed customers can receive up to $800 a year to cover current or past-due APS bills through the Crisis Bill Assistance program in partnership with local agency part- ners. Visit the APS website or call 2-1-1 to fi nd your local agency. Project SHARE • Qualifi ed customers facing severe fi nancial hardship can receive up to $300 a year in emergency en- ergy bill assistance through APS's SHARE program in partnership with The Salvation Army. Visit the APS website or call 2-1-1 to fi nd your local Salvation Army offi ce. Customer Support Fund • Customers can receive a $100 cred- it if they are two months past due on their bill and have unexpected loss of income, higher medical or child- care expenses due to COVID-19. The fund is available through APS advi- sors by calling (602) 371-7171. Water Assistance Water services are controlled by the city that you live in. Some cities, districts, and municipalities have issued their own moratoriums that temporarily suspend water discon- nections for nonpayment, however, customers may continue to accrue charges for water, reclaimed wa- ter, sewer, and solid waste services. If you need assistance paying your water bill, contact your city, district, or municipality's water services de- partment as soon as possible to de- termine if there is a local morato- rium in place, or to discuss fl exible payment options. Customers can also call 2-1-1 for local agencies that may be able to offer assistance. If your utility company is unable to provide an option that works for you, you can contact a nonprofi t agency or city program that offers utility assistance. Visit the 211Ari- zona website or call 2-1-1 to get con- nected with your local utility assis- tance program. Dr. Cara M. Christ, M.D., M.S. Di- rector for the Arizona Department of Health Services issued a statement Tuesday, Dec. 1st following a record 10,332 COVID-19 new cases reported. Phoenix, AZ - There are many im- pacts that the holidays can have on COVID-19 in Arizona. With people traveling and gathering with loved ones to celebrate Thanksgiving, we anticipate the cases and the need for hospitalizations to continue to increase over the next few weeks. We also know that the holidays can have an impact on our public health system, resulting in the fi nal clas- sifi cation and reporting of cases to be delayed. During this time, ADHS has been in active communication with our public health partners at the local and federal level, and with our laboratory, hospital, and healthcare providers. We continue to focus on containing the spread of the virus, ensuring adequate care is available for those who contract the disease, and saving lives. COVID-19 is highly contagious, and it is estimated that 50% of the spread is due to asymptomatic individuals — an additional risk when gathering with loved ones or close friends. Many people let down their guard when they are with people they trust. However, being in close proximity to someone with COVID-19 and not wearing a mask when with others from outside your household signifi cantly increase your chances of being exposed to CO- VID-19. Many public health offi cials have urged people across the United States to keep holiday celebrations smaller and safer this year. The holidays can also impact the review and reporting processes for COVID-19 data. Today, the num- ber of new cases reported is up signifi cantly from what has been reported in the past. This large number of newly reported cases is a result of the extended four-day weekend. Most days, local health agencies review and classify newly reported cases (identifying them as confi rmed, probable, or not a case). They will follow up with healthcare providers and laboratories if there are any questions about details on a case, which may take additional time over the holidays. The con- fi rmed and probable cases identifi ed are then reported out on our dash- board the next day as the number of new cases. With the long weekend, classifi cation was delayed for a large portion of cases, resulting in much higher numbers than usual. It is important to note that these newly reported cases were from specimens collected over the last week and are not all from yester- day. Reviewing the Confi rmed CO- VID-19 Cases by Day section of the COVID-19 dashboard will provide better context for when cases have occurred. While today's higher numbers have a simple explanation due to the long weekend, the num- bers are still trending in a concern- ing direction, especially considering that the number of holiday parties and gatherings are expected to in- crease over the next few weeks. The increased cases, percent positiv- ity, and hospitalizations show that COVID-19 is still actively circulat- ing and dangerous. It highlights the need for Arizonans to continue tak- ing important prevention steps they have been following over the past few months: wearing a mask when out in public, staying physically dis- tanced from people who are not in your household, washing your hands frequently, avoiding large gather- ings, and staying home when sick. You can fi nd out more about how to celebrate winter holidays safely amid COVID-19, including recent data and additional prevention strat- egies, at azhealth.gov/COVID19.

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