Gov. Gary Herbert addresses reporters via video conference on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020. The state medical examiner addressed how COVID-19 deaths are determined. Screen grab from KSLNewsRadio.com
SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Gary Herbert announced new restrictions related to COVID-19 after four weeks of increased case counts and hospitalizations, along with a new guidance system for the state of Utah and a renewed emphasis on wearing masks.
Health officials believe this new system will clear up some of the confusion from the color-coded “risk level” method. State Epidemiologist Angela Dunn said this new system better uses up-to-date information to take a closer look at how the virus is spreading in each county.
“[We look at] case rates, percent positivity and statewide ICU utilizations,” she said.
Based on those factors, people can better understand how quickly the virus is spreading. Based on current data, counties like Salt Lake, Utah, Juab, Cache, Garfield and Wasatch would already be put in the “high transmission” category.
Dunn said, “The coronavirus.utah.gov website is going to be updated every Thursday, and it’s going to reflect which counties are at which level.”
A county can be moved from a lower level to a higher one, but, once its placed in that higher bracket, the county will have to stay there for a while.
“Counties can only be moved from higher to lower levels after spending a minimum of 14 days in that higher level,” according to Dunn.
Screen grab from https://coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels/
Herbert stopped short of calling the new restrictions a “mask mandate,” but he and health officials stressed face coverings as a way to stop the spread of COVID-19. That includes requiring masks at all public events, regardless of the county’s transmission index status.
In the six counties the state has determined to be “high transmission areas,” social gatherings in those counties will be limited to 10 or fewer people, and masks will be required in public places where social distancing is not possible.
Utah health officials consider more than a dozen counties at a moderate level (Box Elder, Carbon, Davis, Grand, Iron, Millard, Morgan, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Washington and Weber), meaning masks will be required by public health directive through at least Oct. 29, 2020.
“I, like you, am tired of 2020,” Herbert said, acknowledging the work of many Utahns to prevent the spread of coronavirus. But he added, “Frankly, it doesn’t matter how tired we are. We must in fact win this fight.”
Herbert also announced a shift for Utah from a state of emergency to a public health emergency.
The public health order mentioned above comes from the Utah Department of Health. It states that all people living in high and moderate transmission areas are to limit casual social gatherings to 10 people or fewer.
Herbert said this order, along with mask requirements and other restrictions in counties with high and moderate transmission levels, is designed to break the current spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Herbert called Utah’s current spike in cases “one of the worst outbreaks in the country,” and pointed to the strain on hospitals, saying the Utah National Guard is on standby to help open an emergency hospital facility for overflow if needed.
“We had a strong first quarter in this contest against the virus,” Herbert said.
He credited that early work for buying the state time to address potential shortages of personal protective equipment and reduce the strain hospitals.
“Unfortunately, over the last four weeks, we have seen our infection rates and case counts skyrocket to the highest they have ever been.”
“This is unacceptable,” Herbert added.
Businesses can stay open so long as they follow safety protocols, regardless of the transmission index in their area. Those protocols include having employees stay home when they are sick.
The Utah Department of Health reported 987 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, ahead of Herbert’s announcement about restrictions. Those cases came from 8,801 tests, meaning the positivity rate for the day’s cases was about 11.2%. The rolling seven-day average hit 1,182 per day, with a rolling seven-day positive test rate of 13.8%.
State officials say hospitals currently have 249 patients in treatment for COVID-19, the same number as yesterday. However, the total number of hospitalizations to date is 4,383, an increase of 52 since the day before. The state did not report any additional deaths.
COVID-19 coronavirus spreads person to person, similar to the common cold and the flu. So, to prevent it from spreading:
Utah’s Coronavirus Information
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Utah Coronavirus Information Line – 1-800-456-7707
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
