Utah sets another daily COVID-19 case record with 676 positive tests

Medical Reserves Corps Mobile Testing Team administrators Mikayla Gibson, left, and Aaron Dayne Smith administer a COVID-19 test outside of Glendale Middle School in Salt Lake City on Monday, June 22, 2020. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah surpassed its daily record of new confirmed COVID-19 cases again on Friday with 676 positive tests.

Now more than 20,000 Utahns have been infected with the novel coronavirus.

The new cases were confirmed out of 5,514 tests reported, for a positive rate of 12.3%. They bring the state’s case total since the pandemic began to 20,050 out of 317,568 tested, an overall positive rate of 6.3%, according to the Utah Department of Health.

The previous record was broken last Saturday, June 20, when 643 new cases were confirmed.

Dr. Angela Dunn, state epidemiologist with the Utah Department of Health, expressed alarm about the continued spikes.

“For the second time in a week, we are announcing our highest daily case count total. These cases affect all Utah residents. They have the potential to threaten our economy, and our ability to ensure people can receive the care they need in our hospitals,” she said in a statement.

“Each one of these cases represents a household that will now be required to quarantine. This means parents will be unable to go to work and children will be unable to see their friends. Each one of these cases inches us closer to maxing out our hospital capacity. If this happens, some Utahns who need hospital care may not be able to get it. And each one of these cases poses a clear and significant danger to somebody who falls into a high-risk category.”

Health officials also reported that 31 additional people were hospitalized Friday for treatment of the novel coronavirus. But the total hospitalizations rose just slightly from 170 on Thursday to 171 on Friday.

“We need large-scale behavior change on the part of all Utahns to reverse this trend. Everyone, whether it’s required in your county or not, needs to be wearing a mask in order to help protect those around you. Everyone should be practicing physical distancing, staying home if they’re sick, and washing their hands regularly,” Dunn said.

Two more deaths from the disease were also reported Friday: a Weber County man between the ages 65 and 84, and a Salt Lake County man older than 85. Both were residents at long-term care facilities.

Steve Griffin, Deseret News

Alexis Osborne, a barista at Tulie Bakery, is reflected in the glass door as she delivers a curbside order to a customer in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 26, 2020. The bakery offers takeout and curbside delivery, and customers must wear a mask to enter.

Mask requirements

As two counties prepared to implement a requirement that masks be worn in public places, the Public Health and Economic Emergency Commission, which is tasked with making recommendations in the pandemic, on Friday recommended Gov. Gary Herbert designate $1 million in funds from the state’s COVID-19 Outreach and Education Program to “directly emphasize the importance in wearing a mask.”

“I encourage Utahns to wear masks to help protect neighbors, friends, families and communities,” said Sen. Dan Hemmert, co-chairman of the commission, in a statement. “Wearing a mask is a simple act to protect vulnerable populations and livelihoods. If wearing a mask means we can continue to lighten other restrictions we’re living under, economic and otherwise, and it means our kids can go back to school this fall, I’m happy to wear a mask.”

“Studies indicate that wearing a mask significantly decreases an individual’s likelihood of getting COVID-19,” said Jefferson Burton, co-chairman of the commission. “This simple act can help Utah stay safe and stay open.”

Salt Lake County’s request to implement a mask requirement will go into effect at midnight Friday evening. Herbert approved the request but has made no comment about it

Summit County also received approval Thursday evening for its request to mandate face coverings. The Summit County Council was expected to vote to implement the mandate during a meeting on Friday afternoon, said Derek Siddoway, Summit County Health Department spokesman. The public health order was still being drafted and will tentatively go into effect Monday evening, he said.

Under legislation passed by the Utah Legislature earlier this year, local governments must seek permission from the governor to enact any additional COVID-19 restrictions that are more strict than the governor’s statewide orders.

Herbert’s approval of the two counties’ requests came up against some criticism, including from a Piute County commissioner who compared the governor to Adolph Hitler in a Twitter post that he later deleted.

“Wearing a face covering correctly is one of the easiest things we can do to help our local businesses, and or community as whole, successfully weather this challenging time,” Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said on Twitter.

The county will require face coverings at both indoor and outdoor public gatherings “where consistent social distancing is not possible,” and for customers waiting outside or inside stores, bars and restaurants, as well as other public areas, Wilson said.

Masks won’t be required outdoors where physical distancing is “easily maintained,” or for those with health conditions that are exacerbated by masks or for children under 2, the mayor said. People also don’t need to wear a face mask if it would prevent them from performing the essential functions of their job. They also won’t be required for swimming or other strenuous activities.

“The goal of the requirement is not enforcement or to penalize anyone; the goal is to send a strong, clear message about the gravity of our current COVID circumstances and the importance of face coverings in effectively addressing this concerning data,” Wilson said.

Summit County’s draft public health order would also require face masks in lines and inside public places, in all health care settings, in workplaces where food is prepared or packaged or where there is any interaction with the public, and at community gatherings. Violations of the order could be punishable by an infraction.

As in Salt Lake County, those younger than age 2 or with mental or physical conditions that would prevent them from wearing a mask would be exempted from the order.

Other mask mandates?

As the face mask debate continues to be steeped in politics, other county officials in areas facing surges aren’t seeking to mandate masks.

“At this time our guidance is for the public to wear masks and we’d like (residents) to follow that guidance, on their own, without a mandate,” said Trevor Warner, Davis County Health Department spokesman.

“Leaders are watching the data and want to make smart, data-informed decisions moving forward. The Davis County Commission and city mayors will be meeting with the health department next week to discuss this topic more,” he said.

Likewise, Washington County — which has seen an ongoing surge in cases — is not currently considering a face mask requirement, said David Heaton, Southwest Utah Health Department spokesman.

“Data doesn’t support such a move in the four most rural counties. We continue to monitor Washington County daily regarding health care resource capacity, testing and case rates,” Heaton said.

“St. George isn’t requesting that masks become mandatory at this time. However, I do agree with our local medical experts about the importance of wearing masks in public and strongly urge all of our residents to ‘mask up.’ If we want our economy to bounce back sooner as opposed to later, wearing a mask in public is a very easy and essential step toward that goal,” Mayor Jon Pike said in a statement.

San Juan County, which at one point in the pandemic had the highest rate of new COVID-19 cases, is seeing its cases stabilize.

“Our number of total current active cases has been declining gradually over the past few weeks. We are not currently considering any mask or face covering mandates, but we continue to encourage businesses and individuals to wear masks in any situation where maintaining social distancing may be difficult or unlikely,” San Juan County Health Department director Kirk Benge said.

This story will be updated throughout the day.

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