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Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson asks sports teams to wear masks

SALT LAKE COUNTY – The number of COVID-19 cases has shot up in Utah in recent weeks. Now, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson is asking sports teams to take some precautions to slow the spread. 

In a letter to all Salt Lake County residents, she asked people who participate in sports to do five things: 

• Checking each participant (players and coaches) for symptoms before every team gathering–including practices, meetings, and competitions.
• Staying home when ill or if you have been in contact with anyone who has COVID-19.
• Correctly wearing a face covering whenever possible.
• Washing hands frequently and using hand sanitizer when soap and water is not available.
• Practicing good hygiene, such as not spitting and covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or inside your elbow.

Nicholas Rupp with the Salt Lake County Health Department agrees with the mayor’s guidance because they are seeing more and more cases of COVID-19 linked to sporting events, even children’s games. 

“They may not be at serious risk for complications, but they’re likely in contact with someone in their life who could be. You don’t want your junior high student who is playing sports to contract COVID-19 and then infect someone else,” Rupp said. 

He also reminds people that wearing a mask may not be feasible in all situations, which is why the county is not mandating athletes wear one. 

“It’s probably not prudent to be wearing a face covering while engaged in heavy, physical activity that requires heavy breathing. But when you’re sitting on the bench…you should all be wearing face coverings,” Rupp said.