alt=Ashley ImlaySALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Gary Herbert issued a directive Friday asking Utahns to “stay home as much as possible,” on the same day the state’s second COVID-19 death was confirmed.
For the next two weeks, Utahns are urged to only travel when it is essential, minimize visits to grocery stores and refrain from visiting friends. Outdoor recreation will still be allowed under the new directive while keeping a distance of 6 feet between those from other households, Herbert announced during a news conference.
State parks will only be available to those who live in the county of each park.
Everyone in the state is also asked to work at home if possible.
Play dates among children are discouraged in the directive, and children should not play on public playground equipment.
“There’s an expectation for all of us to follow these directions, and we need to do that in concert together,” Herbert said.
While the directive largely aligns with recommendations the state has already given, Herbert said it is meant to add “emphasis” to the things residents should be doing.
A shelter in place order as some neighboring states have given “sounds a little bit more like a World War II effort,” Herbert said, adding that he’s concerned it would create fear.
“We just think this is a better way to approach it, a more positive route,” Herbert said.
State officials also want to allow businesses to stay open “if they meet criteria” in maintaining safety for employees and customers.
“If we do that, I think we’re going to have the best of both worlds” in preventing illnesses while retaining hope in the state, Herbert said.
Utah’s second victim of the virus — a southwest Utah resident described as an older adult woman under age of 60 with underlying health conditions — died in a hospital in the Salt Lake area, said Dr. Angela Dunn, state epidemiologist with the Utah Department of Health.
Those who had been in close contact with the woman who died have been asked to self-isolate, according to the Southwest Utah Health Department.
On Friday, Utah confirmed 79 more cases of coronavirus, bringing the total up to 480. Later Friday, San Juan County and the Southeast Utah Health Department announced their first cases to bring the state total to 482. Just over 9,200 people had been tested as of Friday, up 1,500 since the day before, Dunn said. The rate of those tested who have tested positive remains just above 5%.
The current COVID-19 numbers in Utah could be the tip of an iceberg if one study is correct.
By April 24, Utah could see its health care system reach peak demand due to COVID-19, resulting in a potential 19 deaths per day in the state. That’s according to projections by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Measurements and Evaluation, an independent global health research center that has issued state-by-state projections about the coronavirus.
The Beehive State is projected in the institute’s analysis to see 619 total deaths from the virus before the pandemic winds down in late June.
And those grim projections are assuming the state takes strong social distancing and other protective measures, according to the institute.
However, the University of Washington projections come with a lot of uncertainty. The researchers have cautioned that the range of possible outcomes is wide. Wuhan, China, is the only area with the epidemic that has brought new cases to “zero or near zero,” according to the researchers, making modeling in the U.S. “intrinsically challenging.”
The projections also don’t consider factors including the prevalence of chronic lung disease, population density, public transport and other factors that could influence immune response in the U.S., the researchers said.
University of Washington analysts came up with the sobering estimates in a state-by-state comparison by examining data on confirmed COVID-19 deaths by day from the World Health Organization and local and national governments. The institute also examined state-by-state hospital capacity and other data to forecast deaths and hospital use for the next four months.
Nationally, the analysts believe the country will fall about 50,000 beds short as the strain on hospital resources peaks, and they project about 81,000 people will die.
Also on Friday, Salt Lake County Councilman Arlyn Bradshaw announced on Facebook he has tested positive for the virus after experiencing symptoms for several days, during which he says he’s remained self-isolated.
Bradshaw encouraged the state to issue a stay-at-home order, and urged the community to continue supporting health care workers by practicing social distancing.
About 10% of all cases in Utah have required hospitalization.
“Our case increases on a daily basis continue to be steady here in Utah, and that’s a good sign. We have not yet seen an exponential increase that surrounding states, and other states across the country, have seen,” Dunn said.
While Summit County implemented a stay-at-home order that began Friday, some local officials, including Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, have called for a similar order to be issued statewide.
Dunn called discussions among local and state governments about stay-at-home orders “fluid and ongoing.” Any announcement about a statewide order will come from the governor’s office, she said.
Mendenhall said in a statement she supports Herbert’s directive, and she issued a new city proclamation to add “force of the law” to the directive.
“You can still go outside, exercise at parks, hike on trails and go to grocery stores. Many of the businesses that we rely on every day will still be accessible. The state’s action today ... gives additional clarity on what is required — by both businesses and individuals — to truly flatten the curve,” Mendenhall said.
“We are asking our residents to act with great care in this unprecedented time. Think not only about your own well-being, but about your neighbor’s.”
The city proclamation restricts people from entering the Salt Lake City International Airport without an airline ticket or airport badge. It requires all drop-offs and pickups to take place curbside or in the parking garage, with no one except the passenger exiting the vehicle.
Meanwhile, San Juan County reported its first confirmed COVID-19 case on Friday.
The patient in San Juan County is a man under the age of 65, according to the San Juan Public Health Department, Utah Navajo Health System and the Navajo Department of Health.
Additional information about the patient or how he got the virus was not released.
In response to its first case, San Juan County issued a public health order on Friday prohibiting gatherings of more than 10, including during camping or other outdoor activities. All businesses were also ordered to comply with social distancing measures, with businesses encouraged to allow employees to work remotely when possible. Dine-in services are also prohibited under the order, with curbside takeout and drive-thru still allowed.
The first case in southeast Utah is a Grand County woman between the ages of 25 and 45, according to the Southeast Utah Health Department.
A confirmed case in Uintah County marks the first in the Uinta Basin area of eastern Utah. Those who have been in close contact with the man, described only as between the ages of 18 and 65, have been asked to quarantine in their homes.
“While this is our first case, we do not anticipate it being our last. We are asking people not to panic but to remain vigilant regarding their personal hygiene, physical distancing and staying home at the first sign of symptoms,” Dr. Karl Breitenbach, department medical adviser, said in a statement.
“Minimizing travel, even within our community, will lower the risk to yourself and others,” Breitenbach said.
A breakdown of the Utah COVID-19 cases by health district:
- Salt Lake County, 218 residents, 3 nonresidents
- Summit County, 102 residents, 8 nonresidents
- Davis County, 50 residents
- Utah County, 26 residents, 1 nonresident
- Wasatch County, 28 residents, 1 nonresident
- Southwest Utah, 9 residents, 1 nonresident
- Southeast Utah, 1 resident
- San Juan County, 1 resident
- Weber-Morgan, 20 residents
- Bear River Health Department, 7 residents
- Tooele County, 5 residents
- TriCounty Health Department, 1 resident
Correction: An earlier version incorrectly said the second death occurred in the Uinta Basin area. The patient was from southwest Utah.