The City of Sierra Vista is closely monitoring the national outbreak of the novel coronavirus, now known as COVID-19. The City is working with our public health partners at the Cochise County Health & Social Services, the Arizona Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to ensure that the City is following best practices for public safety and continuation of City services. See FAQs below for information specific to the City of Sierra Vista.

Statewide 2-1-1 COVID-19 Hotline

Arizona has established a statewide hotline to answer questions and provide information about COVID-19. The line is available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. each day of the week and can be reached by dialing 2-1-1 while an individual is located in Arizona.



September 18 Update

As of September 18, 1,880 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Cochise County and 1,781 have been released from isolation. There have been 72 deaths.

City suspends face covering order as cases decline

In a special Council meeting on June 26, Mayor Rick Mueller issued an emergency declaration requiring people over the age of 10 wear face coverings or shields while in public in Sierra Vista when physical distancing of at least 6 feet is not possible. On Sept. 17, Mueller issued a suspension of that declaration in light of declining COVID-19 cases.

The suspension will take effect at 1 a.m. Friday, Sept. 18. Residents are still highly encouraged to wear face coverings while out in public to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and should be aware that face coverings may still be required in certain government facilities or inside businesses. While the order is suspended, it has not been rescinded, which means it may be enacted again if the need arises.

“I applaud Sierra Vista residents for everything they have done to help combat COVID-19 in our community. These efforts have been borne out in the local case numbers, which have declined consistently in recent weeks and months,” Sierra Vista Mayor Rick Mueller says. “While we are in a good place right now, we know that can change quickly with this virus. I ask that residents remain vigilant and continue to be kind to one another as we head into the fall and winter months.”

Gov. Ducey takes further action to reverse COVID-19 spread in Arizona

As part of continued efforts to reverse the trend of COVID-19 spread in Arizona, Governor Doug Ducey signed another Executive Order on July 9 limiting the total seating for restaurant patrons to less than 50 percent capacity. This is in addition to a June 26 Executive Order that prohibits large gatherings, ceases the issuance of special event licenses, and pauses the operations of bars, gyms, movie theaters, waterparks and tubing rentals. The Governor's Executive Orders are available online.

In addition, Governor Ducey announced, in coordination with Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman, that local leaders will decide when to begin school for in-person learning based on public health benchmarks set by the Arizona Department of Health and Human Services. Schools must conduct distance learning on the first day of their instructional calendar if they choose to delay the start of in-person instruction. Learn more.

Changing City and business operations to comply with Gov. Ducey's Executive Orders

The City is closely observing and complying to executive orders issued by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey. After a short extension, Gov. Ducey lifted the stay at home order, effective May 16. The order allows the opening of facilities in phases, but continues to encourage safe social distancing and healthy hygiene practices. Businesses, institutions, and other operations are permitted to be open to the public providing they are able to ensure physical distancing, hygiene and disinfection, sickness monitoring, and other practices to ensure public safety.

Residents are still encouraged to take care of any business online whenever possible.

City building lobbies, Cove, and Museum to reopen Sept. 8

Several City facilities will reopen with limited service and heightened precautions on Tuesday, Sept. 8, to include the Henry F. Hauser Museum, The Cove, and building lobbies.

Lobbies that will be reopened include the Sports Division, City Hall, the Pedro Castro Maintenance Center, the Ethel H. Berger Center, Oscar Yrun Community Center, Sierra Vista Police Department, and Sierra Vista Public Library. The splash pad in Len Roberts Park is now open and is available daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Oct. 15.

The Cove will reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 8, for lap swim on a by-reservation basis to limit the number of people inside the aquatic center at one time. No other activities will be offered at this time. Lap swim will be available with a reservation on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will also be available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:15 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call (520) 417-4800 to make a reservation.

The Henry F. Hauser Museum, located in the Ethel H. Berger Center, will also reopen on Sept. 8, and will limit the number of visitors who can enter at one time. The museum will be open Monday-Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Thursday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will remain closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Starting Sept. 8, the Sierra Vista Public Library will reopen the lobby and offer limited services, while maintaining some best-practices developed in response to COVID-19. The library lobby will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday-Friday, and from 4 to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday. It will remain closed on Saturday and Sunday. The café inside the library lobby will be accepting orders to go during the daytime library lobby hours. All library book drops are now open. The library facility itself will remain closed, but patrons may enter the lobby to pick up holds, sign up for a library card, request items, or return materials. A temporary computer lab will be open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon. The number of patrons accessing the computer lab will be limited.

The Vista Transit Center is open. Patrons are requested to observe safe physical distancing both in the Transit Center and on Vista Transit buses. For those who are able to wear them, masks are required to ride Vista Transit buses.

Sierra Vista's outdoor amenities reopened in May and remain open. These amenities include the skate park, the dog park, outdoor sports fields and courts. Safe physical distancing of at least 6 feet is strongly advised. If physical distancing is difficult, face coverings are required.

More information

See the City's press release archive for more information about the City's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

See which local restaurants are offering dine-in services, outdoor seating, take-out, and meal kits.

Please see the FAQs below to learn more about facility closures, what the City is doing during this time, where you can find help, and more.

This web page will continue to be updated with the most current information.