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Utah Gov. Gary Herbert declared a state of emergency Sunday night and ordered a statewide mask warrant in an attempt to stem a wave of coronavirus hospitalizations of patients who test the state’s hospital capacity. Herbert and the Utah Department of Health have issued public health and leadership orders requiring residents to wear face coverings in public, at work, and when within 6 feet of people who are not not live in their home.
Several of the state’s largest counties were already in need of masks, but Herbert, a Republican, had resisted extending the rule statewide despite a two-month spate of cases.
Herbert said in a televised speech on Sunday night that the time for the mask debate has passed, while saying his orders will not shut down the economy.
GOVERNOR’S OFFICE, UTAH
Its new set of rules also calls for a two-week hiatus from extracurricular activities, including sporting events, with the exception of high school championship matches and intercollegiate sporting events, provided the test and distance guidelines social are respected. Herbert also ordered a limit on “occasional social gatherings” to household members only.
Orders go into effect at 1 p.m. local time (MST) on Monday and close on November 23.
By January 1, all students in public and private universities who take at least one class per week in person must be tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis.
State officials sent an emergency alert to state residents on their phones on Sunday alerting them to Herbert’s televised address outlining the orders.
Earlier Sunday, Utah health officials announced a new high in coronavirus hospitalizations as well as 2,386 additional COVID-19 cases as the pandemic escalates. Some 424 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Sunday, according to the Utah Department of Health. Hospitalizations stood at a record 395 patients with COVID-19 on Friday.
Herbert’s office said in a statement on Sunday that the mask-wearing warrant would be extended beyond Nov. 23 “for the foreseeable future.”
The seven-day average of daily new cases in Utah hit a record 2,290. Over the past two weeks, Utah’s average positivity – the percentage of positive coronavirus tests – has increased from 18.5 % to 20.6%, according to state data. At least 659 residents have died from the coronavirus and more than 132,000 have been infected.
Utah will also step up its contact tracing efforts and testing on younger people who typically have no symptoms of the coronavirus, including college testing, testing for students engaged in extracurricular activities, and possibly testing. in the workplace for people 35 and under, Herbert’s office told me. Utah National Guard personnel will assist with contact tracing, he said.
“To make a real difference in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and reversing the dire situation in our hospitals, we all need to do more,” the governor said in a statement. “It’s a sacrifice for all of us. But by slowing the spread, it will make all the difference for our overworked healthcare workers, who desperately need our help.”
The announcement came after Utah’s largest teachers’ union on Friday called on the governor to move all public high schools from areas with high coronavirus transmission to distance learning.
The Utah Education Association has also asked Herbert to suspend all extracurricular activities that cannot meet social distancing guidelines in high transmission areas of Thanksgiving holidays during the winter break.
Herbert expressed concern that people are feeling tired from the pandemic and urged residents of Utah to adhere to masking and social distancing requirements.
The coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially the elderly and people with existing health conditions, it can cause more serious illness or death.
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