ARIZONA 360

Episode 314

PIMA WORKS: Pima County Community Services Director Arnold Palacios discusses how the county is helping workers displaced because of the COVID-19 pandemic and services offered through its newly created website PimaWorks.com. FURLOUGHED WORKERS: Labor attorney Barney Holtzman explains what unemployment insurance benefits furloughed workers can apply for during the pandemic. BUSINESSES ADAPT: Tony Paniagua reports on how businesses in Pima County have adapted to new restrictions and social distancing guidelines. He also speaks to Altaf Engineer, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona School of Architecture, about how the pandemic could usher in a new era of design focused on sensor-based technology that reduces the need for people to touch various surfaces. PET ADOPTIONS: The Pima Animal Care Center’s Kristen Hassen discusses new protocols at the center to reduce person-to-person contact, recommendations for pet owners should they contract the coronavirus, and how it anticipates an influx in surrendered pets as more households struggle financially during the crisis. TRIBAL NATIONS IMPACTED BY PANDEMIC: Arizona Public Media reporter Emma Gibson shares how Arizona’s tribal nations have been impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic and what they can expect from the federal stimulus package. DISCUSSING COVID-19 WITH CHILDREN: Parents who asked Arizona 360 how to discuss the pandemic with their children and shared their concerns get answers from University of Arizona behavioral health expert Patricia Haynes. Haynes also led a team that developed a COVID-19 toolkit for parents and educators. She explains what issues the toolkit aims to address.