Utah Key COVID-19 Updates
Reopening - Masks - Liability
Utah Moving from Red Status to Orange Status on May 1st
Governor Gary Herbert announced yesterday that he will be issuing a new statewide order to move Utah from the “Red phase” of COVID-19 response to the “Orange Phase” effective May 1st, 2020. In doing so he is referencing his
Utah Leads Together 2.0 Plan
and the accompanying
color coded health guidelines
of different response phases and restrictions. This change follows the recommendation of the advisory groups created to assist the Governor’s office through the pandemic and is based on the COVID-19 virus caseload trajectory in Utah. It also matches the economic stabilization phase of the Governor’s Utah Leads Together 2.0 plan.
It is important to note that the update is a statewide order in contrast to the statewide directive to “Stay Home, Stay Safe” that Utah has been under since March 27th, 2020. Local health districts will have the ability to request more restrictive or lenient approaches but these requests must be approved by the Utah Department of Health and then approved by the Governor prior to any implementation. Updated guidance for business operations in the “Orange Phase” will be released in the next few days to give additional specificity.
Schools will not resume traditional operations under this phase and will continue online distance learning through the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year. Teleworking is still highly encouraged for all businesses that are able to do so. Out of state travel is discouraged and those that have traveled out of state are encouraged to self-quarantine for 14-days upon returning to Utah if they traveled to a high-risk area of the country. Under this phase, restaurant dine-in service will now be allowed to resume with appropriate spacing, masking, and other safe precautions. The “Orange Phase” allows groups of up to 20 persons to gather, up from the “Red Phase” of 10 persons.
A Mask for Every Utahn
The Governor strongly encouraged the use of face masks for all Utahns when in public during the “Orange Phase” and for people to still stay home as much as possible. A new collaborative project, “A Mask for Every Utahn” was announced to make and distribute 2 million masks for Utahns. More information can be found at
coronavirus.utah.gov/masks
. Any of our members' employees who request masks through this program will be moved to the front of the line as essential workers. Also, some of our member retail stores, that have expressed interest in being distribution points for these masks, may be asked to coordinate providing masks to their customers as well.
Utah Legislature Passes Civil Liability Immunity for Businesses
During the recent special session of the Utah Legislature the association worked with Senator Kirk Cullimore and other lawmakers to introduce and pass
S.B. 3007 - COVID-19 Provisions
. This bill, provides civil immunity for businesses related to exposure to COVID-19. A business would only be liable to its customers and invitees if they had engaged in willful misconduct or were reckless or intentional in inflicting harm. This bill will ensure that, so long as a business is operating reasonably, it will not need to fear civil liability for COVID-19 exposures. Employee will continue to be protected by existing workers' compensation laws. The bill will become effective upon the Governors signature.
Please reach out to association president Dave Davis if you have any questions regarding this update.
