Wasatch County issued a new health order Tuesday evening. The order includes updated information on parks and masks.
The new order issued by the Wasatch County Health Department follows the Governor's directive issued Friday that state parks be open to residents outside of the county.
“That adjustment to his directive came a little bit unexpected on Friday,” Probst said. “We’ve had community leaders working over the weekend to make sure we can work with that governor’s directive and respond appropriately. So, this order incorporates his directive on how we can do that. Now even though we are responding appropriately to that directive, we do know that traveling both in and out of the county does increase the risk of spreading COVID. So, though we're not encouraging that movement, we’re consistent with the governor’s order to allow visitors to come into those state parks.”
The order also has some additional information about local parks. While use of playground equipment and public gatherings at parks remains off-limits Probst did say that some activities such as tennis, and golf can be done as people take proper precautions.
The order also encourages residents to wear masks when they do leave their homes and go someplace such as the store where they may be in proximity of others.
“Not to protect yourself so much,” Probst explained. “If we all take the initiative to help protect each other, so that we’re wearing a mask that contains our own coughs and sneezes. When we’re out working and exercising and breathing hard, keep our own water droplets from affecting someone else. This is a way in which we can begin to hold that curve flat, while we prepare our businesses to reopen.”
The order also asks residents to continue to follow the guidelines given as Probst says the better those guidelines are followed; the sooner businesses can return to a new normal.
“We're actually meeting with groups and coming up with best practice and how they can provide those services in as safe a way as we know at this point,” Probst continued. “It's been rewarding for me to work with these businesses to see how actual competitors—that have been competitors for some time—are coming together and saying how can we make this work? How can we make this effective and safe for our community? It’s a very good process. We're working on that so that we can be ready as soon as data suggests that we can do that.”
Probst says they’re aiming for May 1st, to be the day to start soft re-opening.
The new order went into effect Tuesday evening at 5:00 and will remain in place until May 1.
The full order can be read here.