Governor Herbert Announces Utah’s Transition from “Moderate” to “Low” Risk
Governor Herbert
announced
that many parts of Utah will move from the Orange phase to Yellow phase at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, in the state’s effort to fight the COVID-19 virus while continuing to reopen the state’s economy. Grand County, Summit County, Wasatch County, Salt Lake City, and West Valley City will remain in Orange for the time being and will be reevaluated regularly.
What
general changes
will take place Saturday morning for areas moving to the Yellow phase?
- Schools will remain closed, though driver’s education will be permitted.
- Individuals will no longer be asked to leave home infrequently.
- The size limit for private social interactions will increase from 20 to 50 people.
- Team sports will be allowed with symptom checking and spectators socially distanced.
- Guidelines at swimming pools will be relaxed somewhat, though social distancing will still be required on pool decks.
What changes will take place Saturday morning that are
specific to retail operations
for areas moving to the Yellow phase?
- Retail store capacity requirements have been removed. Retailers will no longer be required to monitor how many people are in your stores.
- Reusable bags are now permitted.
- Face coverings for employees are now only required for employees if they are going to be coming within 6 feet of other people. As a practical matter for retailers this likely does not change our face covering approach as our employees will routinely come within 6 feet of others.
Governor Herbert asked all Utahns to continue wearing masks when they leave home. While the Governor's Order does not require wearing masks, the Governor said he hopes Utahns are willing to continue wearing masks to reduce the spread of the virus throughout the state. He also emphasized that social distancing (staying six feet apart from individuals outside of your household) will be key to help Utah remain in Yellow status.
Herbert asked that employers continue to act responsibly during the transition from Orange to Yellow. He noted that companies should continue to check employees' symptoms each day, ensure hand sanitizer and hand soap are readily available, and encourage physical spacing of employees and customers. Businesses are still encouraged to allow flexible work arrangements such as telework or off-hour shifts to limit exposure among employees and customers.
Herbert stated that high-risk individuals, as defined by the
Centers for Disease Control
, should continue to take extreme caution even in the Yellow phase. The Governor said people in this category should continue to:
- Wear face coverings in settings where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
- Use appropriate precautions for any travel; avoid high-risk areas.
- Telework if possible; if not, maintain a six-foot distance from others.
- Wear face coverings within a six-foot distance when visiting friends and family.
- Limit physical interactions with other high-risk individuals, except for members of your household or residence.
- Limit social interactions to groups of 20 or fewer people outside your household or residence.
- Limit visits to hospitals, nursing homes, or other residential care facilities.
Please feel free to reach out to a member of the association staff if you have questions or concerns regarding this announced change.
