Phoenix mayor says Arizona reopens way too early as new COVID-19 cases on rise

File Photo: Photo taken Aug. 9, 2019 shows a view of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the United States. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said Sunday that the fast pace of Arizona's reopening spurred a record number of new COVID-19 cases.

"We opened way too early in Arizona. We were one of the last states to go to stay at home and one of the first to reemerge, and we reemerged at zero to 60," Gallego said on ABC's "This Week."

"We had crowded nightclubs handing out free champagne, no masks. Our 20- to 44-year-olds, which is my own demographic, really led the explosion, and we've seen such growth in that area. We're seeing a lot of people go to large family gatherings and infect their family members," she said.

Gallego also said the city was in a testing crisis, with people waiting up to eight hours to be tested for the coronavirus.

Arizona is one of the states driving the recent spike in coronavirus cases with record numbers of new infections over the past week.