SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Gary Herbert issued a “Stay Safe, Stay Home” directive on Friday as the number of COVID-19 cases reported in Utah continues to grow.
It went into effect immediately and will remain in place until at least April 13. While it is not a shelter-in-place order, the governor instructed all individuals in the state to stay home as much as possible and practice social distancing when in public in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus across the state.
“This is something we expect all Utahns to do,” Herbert said from a podium at the Utah Capitol, as reporters listened from a teleconference call. “It’s something that will only work if we all participate and do our part. There is no exception to this. People say ‘Well, it works for everybody else but not me.’ All of us are in this together. And if we do this, we’re going to come out of this, I think, in good shape over the next few weeks.”
The directive calls for:
The full list can be found online on the state’s website. It is part of the state’s plan to move Utah out of an urgency response phase, Herbert explained. The directive was drafted to make it clear for residents and businesses on what they can do to help stop the spread of the disease.
Not long after the state order went into place, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenall issued a similar stay-at-home proclamation, which ordered all city residents to remain at home, with the exception of essential travel as listed by the state. The city proclamation goes into effect at 11:59 p.m. Friday.
In an online video, Mendenhall said her proclamation gives Herbert’s declaration “the force of law.” The document states that residents are being urged to voluntarily comply with the proclamation, but is pursuant to the city code and a person who violates can be found guilty of a class B misdemeanor.
“Nothing in this proclamation intended to encourage or allow law enforcement to transgress individual constitutional rights,” the document added. The full text be found online at the city’s website.
Earlier this week, a stay-at-home order was issued in Summit County. Herbert said the state didn’t want to issue a stay-at-home or shelter-in-place order in an attempt to frame things more positively.
“We just think this is a better way to phrase it,” he said, adding the state is trying to emphasize what residents can do versus what they can’t.
You can go outside to exercise and get fresh air — but do not congregate at trailheads or at parks. Maintain cautious social distancing, even when you are outside.
— Gov. Gary Herbert (@GovHerbert)
Starting on Monday, the governor’s office will hold daily updates on the COVID-19 outbreak in Utah. As of Friday, there were 480 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Utah, with 221 in Salt Lake County and 110 in Summit County.
So far, two Utahns have died of the disease.
This is developing news. We’re working on gathering more information and will be updating this story shortly.
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This content was originally published here.
