HEALTH

Governor moves sections of rural Utah to green COVID-19 status

UPDATED: JUNE 18, 2020 AT 5:36 PM

The Utah Health Department provides new numbers every day detailing new cases of COVID-19. But the state's dashboard offers a deeper look into what the numbers mean.

BY SIMONE SEIKALY
Digital Content Producer

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has issued an executive order approving requests by several rural Utah counties to transition to “green” or the “new normal health risk status.”

The counties include Beaver, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Millard, Piute, Uintah, and Wayne counties.

In a statement to KSL Newsradio, Gov. Herbert said the transition to green will take effect June 19, 2020, at 1:00 p.m.

“Limiting the spread of the coronavirus, even as we reactivate the economy, has required data-informed judgment and prudent decision making,” said. Gov. Herbert.

“The nine counties moving into the Green, or ‘New Normal’ risk category account for a wide swath of Utah’s geography, but only three percent of Utah’s population. They also have some of Utah’s lowest case counts and hospitalization rates. The rural lifestyle they enjoy is defined by wider physical distancing, and smaller, less densely populated towns. Although no area is completely free from risk, we feel comfortable having these sparsely populated regions transition from Yellow to Green.”

Gov. Herbert stressed in his order, however, that he continues to be concerned about the threat to hospital capacity from the increasing case counts recorded in past weeks in Utah’s more densely populated regions.

Re-engaging economically, he said, will require more personal responsibility and not less.

Utah residents must continue to keep one another safe through common-sense physical distancing, mask-wearing, staying home when sick, and regular hand washing.”

How To Prevent the Spread of COVID-19Coronavirus

COVID-19 coronavirus is transmitted from person to person. It is a virus that is similar to the common cold and the flu. So, to prevent it from spreading:

Wash hands frequently and thoroughly, with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds.
Don’t touch your face.
Keep children and those with compromised immune systems away from someone who is coughing or sneezing (in this instance, at least six feet)
If there is an outbreak near you, practice social distancing (stay at home, instead of going to the movies, sports events, or other activities.)
Get a flu shot.