Utah governor’s mask tenure sparks denial, protests

SALT LAKE CITY – Hours after Governor Gary Herbert’s statewide mask tenure went into effect, around 50 people gathered outside the Governor’s Palace on South Temple in Salt Lake City to protest what ‘they say they are government overreach and a violation of their rights.

“He doesn’t have the power to tell us what to do in our own lives, in our homes and what we wear,” said Ken Whetstone, who braved Monday’s freezing temperatures and light snow to congregate at the ‘outside.

Carrying signs reading “Tyranny Spreads COVID-19”, “No Dictator Herbert” and “Our immune system is our God through PPE”, the crowd started small Monday afternoon, dropping to around 50 people 17 hours.

The protest elicited a mixture of reactions from passers-by, some honking their horns in support, some slowing down to curse. A few soldiers from the Utah Highway Patrol lingered around the mansion’s lawn, but a visible police presence was absent Monday night.

Meanwhile, a similar protest took shape outside Herbert’s personal home in Orem, and a video posted to the social media site Speak shows dozens of people gathered in suburban Utah County, waving flags and chanting “unmask Utah”.

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

“If everyone who isn’t happy with the mask’s mandate and the 10-person limit put together, if everyone who isn’t happy with that comes out to protest, this street would be full,” Whetstone said of the small rally. of Salt Lake City.

“People are scared. You are a small person who stands against a big government, and a lot of people have been intimidated. Shame on them, who allow the government to intimidate them, ”he said.

Issued at 9:30 p.m. Sunday, the sweep order requires the Utahns to wear masks when in public and when within 6 feet of people they do not live with. Companies that do not promote the wearing of masks and postage signage face fines, officials said on Sunday.

The order has also put an end to extracurricular activities and occasional social gatherings, and is calling on students who live on campus or attend at least one in-person class to be tested for COVID-19 every week.

Herbert’s announcement comes following a record number of coronaviruses, including 2,987 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 last Friday, Utah’s biggest increase since the start of the pandemic. In the week leading up to the mandate, the state averaged more than 2,200 cases per day and a positive rate of over 20%, according to data from the Utah Department of Health.

Rising numbers are creating an unsustainable situation for healthcare workers, officials say, as intensive care units in most of the state’s largest referral hospitals – University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, near Intermountain Medical Center in Murray and McKay-Dee Ogden Hospital – was nearly full last week.

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

However, much of that data was disputed Monday, as protesters accused state health officials and Herbert of statistics of padding, fear and abuse of power.

“There is no overflow in hospitals,” said Sally Quinn. “If he was really concerned about this, he would set up field hospitals.”

“There are more deaths from diabetes, heart disease… the CDC doesn’t even count flu deaths anymore, they even said so,” said Mike Brown, of Bountiful. The CDC still counts flu deaths, according to weekly figures posted on its website.

“If he’s so charged with healing things and helping alleviate these things that can happen to us, why hasn’t he done anything before now?” Brown said, his voice almost muffled by a protester chanting “medical freedom” over a megaphone.

“I think there is a lot more behind the whole virus than it looks,” said Dave Krug. “I don’t believe that (social distancing) serves to protect us from a virus that is 1,000 times smaller than what the human eye can see. There is more at stake. Someone is trying to change the American way of life. ”

The Deseret News requested a statement from Gov. Herbert’s office, but was referred to the governor’s speech on Sunday night.

“We can no longer afford to debate this issue,” Herbert said in his recorded remarks. “Individual freedom is certainly important, and it is our rule of law that protects that freedom. Laws are in place to protect us all. That’s why we have traffic lights, speed limits, and seat belts, and that’s why we now have a mask mandate. ”