Arizona's strategies to contain the new coronavirus remain less aggressive than those adopted by several other states, even after Gov. Doug Ducey changed his tune on school closures and public gatherings in rapid succession Sunday.

By the time the Republican leader decided to shutter schools for two weeks, for instance, more than 30 of his peers had closed or shared plans to close schools in their states.

His recommendation to follow federal guidelines urging people to postpone or cancel events with more than 50 people came after about 10 other governors had banned large gatherings, with one going a step further and limiting attendance to 25.

Ducey has not shut down on-site consumption at restaurants and bars, as leaders in California, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Ohio and Washington have. Nor has he shuttered state parks and museums, like New Mexico's governor, or said he's weighing a statewide curfew, like New Jersey's top executive.

In fact, Sunday's announcements came after weeks of avoiding measures that would significantly disrupt Arizonans’ plans, and days after Ducey and other top officials said they saw no reason to cancel large gatherings or shut down in-person instruction.

Evolving directives aren't uncommon in rapidly changing situations, and Ducey has said he wants to balance "taking this very seriously" with "not being alarmist."

Every restriction also has ripple effects in the community: Governors who've considered closing schools have had to think about how to serve students who don't get much to eat at home, and about how thousands of families will suddenly manage child care.

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Even some who had high praise for Ducey's Sunday announcements have asked him to be more proactive going forward: A coalition of labor and community organizations called on Ducey and the Legislature to "act more boldly and swiftly to protect working families across the state" that evening.

"We urge Arizona elected officials to use their emergency powers," the coalition wrote.

Governor weighs expert, 'on-the-ground' feedback

Until Sunday, Ducey's coronavirus response largely centered on testing and treatment.

On Wednesday, he declared a state of emergency to allow officials to better respond to the coronavirus pandemic, giving them the ability to tap into emergency funding, procure medical supplies and waive licensing requirements needed to set up new hospital beds.

The move also required insurance companies and health plans to cover out-of-network medical providers, banned price-gouging and eliminated all co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles for new coronavirus testing.

Ducey then helped fast-track an emergency $55 million allocation to the state Department of Health Services. The agency received $5 million immediately and can use the other $50 million between now and June 30.

Under state guidelines, the governor has the power to take more dramatic steps, from canceling gatherings to halting public transportation. But he's appeared hesitant to implement measures that could hit families and businesses hard, even as he's said public safety outweighs economic concerns.

At news conferences in recent days, he's skirted questions about the possible impact of not taking swifter action on closures and social distancing, urging reporters not to get ahead of themselves despite dire warnings coming from other countries that have more experience with the disease.

State Health Department Director Cara Christ has backed him up, saying the state wants to minimize the impact on Arizonans' daily lives. In many cases, cancellations and closures simply happened without Ducey, as event organizers, school officials and municipal leaders took matters into their own hands ahead of statewide directives.

Governor's Office spokesman Patrick Ptak said Ducey receives frequent briefings from state and federal health experts and evaluates that information alongside feedback from community partners and other "people on the ground" before issuing orders or recommendations.

He said Ducey's team had been working with nonprofits and faith-based organizations to minimize the impact of changes such as Sunday's school closures, particularly on families of health care professionals whose work attendance is critical.

"The first priority is protecting public health and safety," Ptak said.

'You are always behind where you think you are'

Though some lawmakers and constituents have criticized Ducey for being slow to act — several responded to his school closure announcement with calls to close libraries, restaurants and other public gathering places — others have criticized what they perceive as an overreaction to the pandemic.

"Giving in to the national hysteria is NOT the way to go here," one woman responded on Twitter on Sunday night. "If you start ordering businesses to close, that won’t be well received either."

Another deemed the coronavirus response a "political game," while a third told the governor: "Don't do anything crazy."

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Ducey's response has outpaced that of a handful of other governors who are still refraining from closing schools or limiting gatherings.

Despite pleas from infectious disease specialists to avoid crowds, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Saturday tweeted a photo of himself and his children at a crowded restaurant, writing, "It's packed tonight!"

"To think that right now everything is going to be OK if you don't do anything, that's absolutely incorrect," Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday on Fox News.

Fauci has repeatedly stressed the need for closures and self-quarantines in order to space out the number of severe coronavirus cases so that states' health care systems are not overwhelmed. Concerns include people carrying the virus who might show no symptoms and limited testing availability.

"When you are dealing with a virus outbreak, you are always behind where you think you are," he said.

Fauci also called for "a dramatic diminution of the personal interaction we see in restaurants and in bars" on Sunday on CNN, alluding to the need for more state and local leaders to step in if individuals don't take social distancing guidelines seriously.

"Whatever it takes to do that, that's what I would like to see," he said.

Republic reporter Stephanie Innes contributed to this article.

Reach the reporter at maria.polletta@arizonarepublic.com or 602-653-6807. Follow her on Twitter @mpolletta.