Wasatch County Council held another special meeting Friday night. The council met just an hour of Governor Herbert’s new directive was issued.
Wasatch County Health Department Director Randall Probst presented to the council just an hour after the Governor gave his latest directive. Probst said that directive is a baseline floor for the local health districts to build on if needed. Probst said there are likely more directives coming from Wasatch County in the early part of next week but he says deciding when and what steps to take is a balance.
“I get many calls and emails and post from people who say we really need to make this a lot stronger. We need to just make everybody stay home,” Probst continued. “Then we have a group of people who don't know really, how they're going to survive when they are ordered to stay home. So, finding that balance and saying what is the right timing here. It’s not that myself, or our board or the council is not paying close attention to the numbers and what we see with the spread. We're looking at that very close.”
Probst said the county health department is data driven.
“As a health Department were not economically driven, were not politicly driven,” Probst explained. “It’s not elected bodies, it's a body that's charged with trying to do what is the best interest of public health. The best good of the entire community's public health. So, that's what drives us.”
Probst says the relationship between Wasatch County and Summit County suggests they need to be specific in their directives as they work with Summit County.
Probst also highlighted parts of the Governor’s directive, including asking individuals to stay at home as much as possible, not visiting others without urgent need and not attending any gathering, including not allowing children play dates or using public playground equipment.
At the meeting County Manager Mike Davis also declared a state of emergency. The move is seen as a formality so that the county can receive emergency relief funds.
Council member Kendall Crittenden also reported he had spoken with the local food bank which remains open Thursday and Friday from 11:00-5:00. Normally people are able to come in and are pick and choose what they want, that’s not the case now.
“They call him, indicate a little bit what they would like,” Crittenden said. “He puts together a box of items or whatever for them, takes it out to their car. So, he's doing at the food bank just what our restaurants have been asked to do.”
Crittenden also reports that the senior citizen meals on wheels program is also still in effect. He also warned residents to only flush toilet papers down their toilets.
“I talked to Dennis Scott who manages our sewer treatment plant,” Crittenden continued. “Right now, they don't have a problem but they would like to encourage or please ask people not to flash paper towels or flushable wipes, they are not flushable.”
Council member Mark Nelson also said that more comprehensible information on navigating resources for businesses will soon be available.
“There are several people in the state, and some here in the county, working on a plan and a program to help small businesses understand and navigate this mass of financial and other resources which will be available,” Nelson said.
Wasatch County has 29 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 28 residents and 1 visitor. Probst noted that 7 cases are not active, meaning they have recovered. Probst said their online site will display the same statistics the state does.
