Monday, November 9, 2020

Governor declares state of emergency, mandates masks to fight COVID

 

Governor declares state of emergency, mandates masks to fight COVID

Faced with more than 2,000 new daily COVID-19 cases in his state and hospitals at capacity, Utah's outgoing Gov. Gary Herbert has declared a state of emergency and issued a mandate for all residents to wear masks in public until further notice.

a man wearing a suit and tie: Utah Gov. Gary Herbert speaks during a briefing about the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the Utah State Capitol, Aug. 6, 2020, in Salt Lake City.© Spenser Heaps/AP, FILE Utah Gov. Gary Herbert speaks during a briefing about the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the Utah State Capitol, Aug. 6, 2020, in Salt Lake City.

Herbert announced the new restrictions on Sunday night in a video statement, imploring all state residents "to do everything in your power to stop the spread of this disease."

In addition to mandating mask-wearing, the governor laid out three other crucial elements of his emergency declaration: banning people from hosting social gatherings with individuals other than those living in their households for the next two weeks; significantly expanding the state's testing operations; and suspending all high school and club sporting events, and extracurricular activities, for the next two weeks, with the exception of playoff and championship games. Herbert said intercollegiate sports are also exempt.

a man talking on a cell phone: Utah Gov. Gary Herbert speaks during a briefing about the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the Utah State Capitol, Aug. 6, 2020, in Salt Lake City.© Spenser Heaps/AP, FILE Utah Gov. Gary Herbert speaks during a briefing about the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the Utah State Capitol, Aug. 6, 2020, in Salt Lake City.

Under the new orders, businesses will be required to make their employees wear masks and encourage patrons to do the same. Those that don't comply will be subject to fines from the state's labor commission.

"Masks do not negatively affect our economy, and wearing them is the easiest way to slow the spread of the virus," said Herbert, who did not seek reelection after serving two terms and will leave office Jan. 4.

Herbert also warned that anyone caught sponsoring or organizing events in violation of his social distancing orders will be prosecuted and could be subjected to fines of up to $10,000 per occurrence.

MORE: Biden and Harris launch transition COVID-19 advisory board

"We must all remain vigilant until a vaccine is widely available. But we cannot wait upon a vaccine knowing the havoc that this pandemic has wrecked on families, schools and businesses," Herbert said. "We must do more and we must do it now."


Gallery: This State Just Completely Changed Its Stance on Masks (Best Life)

a girl in glasses taking a selfie: As the threat of the pandemic hit frightening heights in the spring and summer, many governors started issuing statewide mask mandates to try to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Other states, however, noticeably did not mandate masks, with some governors voicing their opposition to issuing statewide government regulations on face coverings. But as coronavirus numbers spike once again, particularly in parts of the Midwest and West, it seems that some officials are changing their stance on masks. In fact, Utah just issued a statewide mask mandate this week for the first time since the pandemic began. Read on for more about this decision and for other areas cracking down on COVID, These States Are Starting to Lock Down Again.Utah Gov. Gary Herbert announced late at night on Nov. 8 that he would be issuing a statewide mask mandate in Utah after long refusing to do so, often saying that he expected "local governments to step up" and issue their own requirements, instead. "I wear [my mask] all the time … because it's the right thing to do," he previously said in September. "We don't have to be compelled by the government to do the right thing."However, Herbert's tune has changed as Utah's coronavirus situation has worsened. According to the Utah State Department of Health, more than 6,000 people are currently being hospitalized in the state due to complications from COVID-19. And last week, the state's positivity rate was 21.25 percent—the highest it's ever been."Masks do not negatively affect our economy, and wearing them is the easiest way to slow the spread of the virus. We cannot afford to debate this issue any longer. Individual freedom is certainly important, and it is our rule of law that protects that freedom," Herbert said during a press conference on Nov. 8. "Laws are put in places to protect all of us. That's why we have traffic lights, speed limits and seatbelts, and that's why we now have a mask mandate."The mandate went into effect on Nov. 9 and "will be extended for the foreseeable future," Herbert said, even though the official order expires on Nov. 23. The mandate requires that all Utahns wear a mask in public and when within six feet of anyone they don't live with. Businesses must also require employees and patrons to wear masks; if stores fail to do so, they face a fine.However, the mask mandate is not the only safety provision that was put in place with Utah's new order. The other requirements, which are also set to expire Nov. 23, include limiting "casual social gatherings to household-only," putting all extracurricular activities on hold, and having students enrolled at high education institutions (who attend at least one in-person class per week) get tested for COVID-19 weekly.But Utah wasn't the only state holding out on a mask mandate; some governors still have not done so. Read on for more states that have no mask requirements and for more on how to ID COVID, find out which Strange Symptom May Be the Earliest Sign You Have COVID.Read the original article on Best Life.

On Monday, President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, echoed Herbert, a Republican, on the necessity of mask-wearing in public as he cautioned that America could face a "dark winter."

chart, histogram: Utah's rising COVID cases and hospitalizations© ABC News Utah's rising COVID cases and hospitalizations

"We could save tens of thousands of lives if everyone would just wear a mask for the next few months. Not Democratic or Republican lives, American lives. Please, I implore you, wear a mask," said Biden, who also unveiled the members of his coronavirus task force.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer also announced on Monday promising initial Phase 3 data for a COVID-19 vaccine it's developing.

MORE: Negative COVID-19 test required for Washington, DC, visitors from high-risk states: Mayor

Herbert's new orders went into effect at 1 p.m. local time on Monday and will remain until at least Nov. 23.

In the past seven days, Utah has averaged 2,213 new positive COVID-19 cases per day and set a record on Friday with 2,987, according to the Utah Department of Health. On Saturday, the state recorded 2,956 new positive cases.

Utah now has more than 130,000 positive cases, and a state record 410 people are currently hospitalized with the virus, the data shows. A total of 658 people in the state have died from the contagion, including nine over the weekend.

Herbert said individuals age 15 to 24 "have not been careful in casual social gatherings and that the highest rates of spread are now occurring among this age group." He said testing will be expanded to include all university students, high school students who participate in extracurricular activities, high school teachers and people in workplaces who are 35 or younger.

The governor stressed that his new orders should not be interpreted as a "shutdown of our society or our economy."

"We're not closing any businesses," Herbert added.

In an analysis of all 50 states in July, ABC News concluded that 28, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, had issued statewide mask mandates. Since then, that list has added Ohio, Arkansas, Minnesota, Indiana, Wisconsin, Vermont and now Utah.

MORE: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tries to rally state to fight 'common enemy' as COVID cases surge

New daily COVID-19 cases across the United States hit a record 128,000 on Saturday as multiple states in addition to Utah reported the highest number of positive infections since the pandemic began, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

The latest data released on Sunday evening offered no signs that the virus is easing up. Sunday marked the fifth straight day new COVID-19 cases surpassed 100,000 in the country, according to the data.

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