Business could begin reopening by early May, Utah governor says

Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, left, and Gov. Gary R. Herbert bump elbows after a press conference at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 17, 2020, where legislative, community, business and religious leaders announced plans to reactivate Utah’s economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

But Herbert warns it’s ‘not time to spike the football yet’

SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Gary Herbert announced Friday that by early May, some businesses in Utah could reopen while continuing practices like social distancing and wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as the state moves toward a “phased-in reactivation of our economy.”

The governor went ahead Friday and lifted restrictions on Utahns visiting state parks located outside of the counties where they live, and expressed hope that the five national parks located in the state could reopen soon, at least to Utah residents.

“It’s not time to spike the football,” Herbert said, but offered what he called good news for Utahns who have been under his “stay home, stay safe” directive since March. The restrictions limiting Utahns to essential movement were recently extended through May 1.

But if Utahns continue to follow social distancing and other protective measures, sit-down dining could be allowed at restaurants, gyms could be reopened and elective surgery permitted by early May, the governor said during an online news conference from the Capitol.

“We’re close to that but we’re not quite there yet. A lot will depend on what we do over these next couple of weeks, all of us individually,” Herbert said. “The trend looks positive but now is not the time for us to pull back on our safety protocols.”

Herbert touted an updated “Utah Leads Together” plan for a health and economic recovery from the deadly virus, which now promises an end to the urgency in dealing with COVID-19 by late April or early May, shifting to a stabilization phase expected to last until fall before Utah moves into a recovery phase.

“The good news for us here in Utah is we are not having to scramble because we already have a plan in place which we have been implementing for now over a month,” the governor said, calling it complimentary to President Donald Trump’s plans for states to begin reopening. “Our plan is working.”

He said, however, that more needs to be done when it comes to testing Utahns for the new coronavirus to ensure the curve of cases continues to decline and warned that older residents and those with compromised health still need to be “extra cautious” about their vulnerability as the state eases towards an economic recovery.

“This is not like a light switch, that it’s off and now we switch it and it’s on. This is more like a dial,” the governor said, that will reopen the economy incrementally while continuing to protect the health of Utahns.

Additional information will be posted throughout the day.

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