FILE: Barret Pritchard, 8, puts on a mask while working at a lemonade stand with his sister in Provo on Tuesday, July 14, 2020. Photo: Kristin Murphy | Deseret News
Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi joins Dave and Dujanovic at 9:20 to discuss the Utah County mask mandate
UTAH COUNTY — Utah County residents now have a mask mandate, effective immediately.
The Utah County Health Department and two of the three Utah County Commissioners issued the mandate late Tuesday that will last until October 20th unless renewed.
The statement thanked those residents and businesses that have done their part, they issued another call to follow public health guidelines warning that if cases continue to increase the whole county could go back to orange.
“If the recent trajectory of cases were to continue, our health care system’s capacity could be at risk and the entire county may be put back into the orange level restrictions,” the statement said.
“It takes all of us doing our part to get through this — hopefully resulting in a return to normalcy as soon as possible. This Public Health Order is just one small part of a more comprehensive plan which will include additional public education, coordination with our cities, businesses, educational institutions, and further guidance from federal, state and local health experts.
“If we can curb this most recent spike and quickly move all of Utah County back to the yellow phase it may save lives and jobs in our community,” the statement concluded.
Commissioner Bill Lee did not sign the letter. He has spoken against mask mandates.
The public health order gives exemptions for exercise, eating at restaurants, children under 5 years old, and those with conditions making them unable to wear a mask.
The state health department says coronavirus cases in Utah county grew by 81 percent in the last week, and Provo and Orem made up the majority of that.
Salt Lake, Summit and Grand counties have had their own mask mandates since late June.
Provo and Orem were moved back to Orange level restrictions on Tuesday.
County Commissioner Tanner Ainge joined Utah’s Morning News with the latest on the Utah County mask mandate. You can hear the full conversation below.