Arizona has not rolled out any statewide coronavirus lockdown measures in what some panicked residents are slamming as a “huge, sick experiment,” according to a report.
The Grand Canyon State is among 10 states that have no shelter-in-place measures on the state, county or municipal level, the Guardian reported.
“It’s really disconcerting because you just see these people and there’s no social distancing,” Paradise Valley resident Ann O’Connor told the outlet. “It is like a huge, sick experiment.”
Gov. Doug Ducey has prohibited cities and counties from issuing their own lockdown orders, the outlet reported. Though he shut down libraries and schools throughout the state, he has allowed non-essential businesses to keep their doors open.
Salon owner Leyna Negron said she made the decision to close the business on her own, but would’ve preferred that it was mandated.
“We cannot comply with CDC guidelines and stay six feet away from our clients,” Negron told the Guardian, adding that she now wants to know “what to do and what help is coming.”
Coronavirus has spread in the state to more than 1,000 people, causing at least 20 deaths, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
Some experts fear that the state has been too slow to enact widespread social distancing measures and flatten the curve.
“I am very concerned that we are behind the curve on this one,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.