Utah Governor Herbert Declares a New State of Emergency and Announces Additional COVID-19 Restrictions
Over the past several months COVID cases in Utah have been skyrocketing. In a televised address this evening at 9:30 PM (MST) Governor Gary Herbert announced some additional restrictions on individuals and businesses. While many of these restrictions will not directly impact our members there are a few that the membership should be aware of.
Statewide Mask Mandate
In his televised announcement Gov. Herbert placed the entire State of Utah under a mask mandate. The mandate will require all businesses to ensure employees are wearing masks, businesses must promote patrons to wear masks and post signage to this effect. Businesses that fail to do so will be subject to fines.
Limit on Casual Social Gatherings
All casual social gatherings will be limited only to members of a household until November 23, 2020.
Pause Extracurricular Activities
The Governor placed all extracurricular activities, including athletic and intramural events, on hold for the duration of the order. This does not limit intercollegiate athletic events, or practices and games associated with high school championships, that follow instructions for testing and limiting crowd size, as detailed in the order.
Require Additional Testing at Higher Education Institutions
Beginning as soon as possible, but no later than January 1, 2021, students enrolled at public and private institutions of higher education, who either live on campus or attend at least one in-person class per week will be required to be tested for COVID-19 weekly.
We would encourage our members to ensure that your business is compliant with the requirements contained in the statewide mask mandate including requiring masks for employees, proper signage and encouraging all patrons to wear masks. If members have questions please feel free to reach out to a member of the association staff.
