Utah rejected restrictions on the coronavirus at residents ’gatherings this week before Thanksgiving, although officials continue to recommend it against them.
Utah Governor Gary Herbert (R) announced Monday that the state will remove the two-week mandate against occasional social gatherings from different households and make it more of a recommendation. Restrictions on gatherings were set for Monday.
But state officials have encouraged Utah residents to keep their festive gatherings small to avoid the risk of the virus spreading.
“It increases the risk of bringing people into your home who come from outside the four walls of your house,” Herbert said at the briefing. – It’s just the harsh reality.
State officials are extending the nationwide mask order, requiring face masking in public indoor areas and outdoors when physical distance is not possible, the governor said.
The easing of restrictions will occur when 2,244 COVID-19 cases were confirmed on Monday, and as the seven-day average of new cases per day has reached 3,349 cases and “continues to grow,” state epidemiologist Angela Dunn said in the briefing.
The state has confirmed a total of 179,420 cases and 797 deaths to COVID-19 since the outbreak began. A total of 136 such deaths occurred in the last two weeks, the highest 14-day period for the coronavirus in Utah, Reported by the Salt Lake Tribune.
State officials reported that 23.6 percent of the tests were positive – much higher than what public health officials recommend. As of Monday, 545 people will be hospitalized for the virus – 11 less than on Sunday, but Herbert said the state “has some full utilization when it comes to beds in the intensive care unit”.
Last week, after a closed session with lawmakers, Herbert announced his plan to lift restrictions on pre-Thanksgiving gatherings.
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