Hope for the best while planning for the worst. Those appear to be decent words to live by for Arizonans these days. Whether we’re talking about community events or the upcoming school semester and athletics, we figure everything currently on the calendar for 2020 should be considered to have the word “tentative” attached.

Arizona has become a major hot spot for COVID-19, with daily cases climbing and hospitals once again inching toward capacity. In our 1A coverage, we report that Fountain Hills had 106 cases as of July 2. That number was used to give a comparison of exactly one month from the June 2 figure of 33. As of this writing on July 6, the town has inched higher still to 115 reported cases, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Also noted in that reporting is the fact that these are the numbers we are facing while adhering to some pretty strict guidelines. In other words, there’s no telling what the infection and death totals would be had we all continued on with “business as usual.”

Combating this virus is an uphill battle and we still don’t have a clear path forward. To our readers, we ask only that you think of your safety and the safety of those close to you. These past several months have been extremely difficult and we’d all like to be through this mess as soon as possible. But wishful thinking isn’t going to cure anything. We need to hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Pay attention to the current regulations and, please, do everything you can to adhere to them and help keep your family and neighbors safe.

Whether you’re looking for the latest regulations, helpful tips, answers to common questions or additional resources, visit AZDHS.gov for more details on all things COVID-19.