Arizona city health officials are urging sporting leagues to shut down for the season because of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. Dr. Marjorie Bessel, a chief clinical officer for Banner Health, believes it's necessary that other cities follow Phoenix's example and pause events in order to get the current health crisis under control.
"They need to be paused until the uncontrolled spread that we are experiencing in our communities and in the state of Arizona gets to a different level," she said. "One of the messages I have is that we're on the cusp of a really terrible surge. It's going to be the worst surge, I believe, of the entire pandemic," she said. "We need to make these good public health decisions where we have these opportunities to make public health decisions like the Phoenix council did."
"There's a lot of science behind trying to explain to individuals who are making decisions on that, to help them really understand what the impact is of gatherings," said Bessel. The incoming surge will likely be the worst of the entire pandemic thanks to recent holiday gatherings and people's relaxed opinions about the pandemic. Hospitals will continue to overflow with cases unless some serious mandates are put into place.