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Summit and Wasatch Senator Compares Business Restrictions to Hitler’s Regime

le.utah.gov

Utah Republican Senator Ron Winterton spoke out against COVID-19 restrictions on businesses during a Health and Human Services Interim Committee meeting last week.

“The government's telling us how to live, and in my country, they say that's Hitler country because that's what Hitler did in his regime is how he controlled the people,” Winterton said. “And so we definitely don't want to go down that route.”

In an interview with KPCW he expanded on his original statement.

“I respect all nationalities. I respect the political process. There was not a jab at anybody or any select people,” he said. “I'm just saying that if we go back and look at Germany's history, and the things that brought Hitler into power fell into the same slippery slope that we're going down right now. That is a concern to me.”

On Nov. 8, the governor implemented health orders, which restricted social gatherings to same-households only. Those health orders have since expired and now health officials are suggesting limited gatherings but not mandating restrictions.

Under current orders, bars and restaurants are required to stop serving alcohol by 10 p.m. And many businesses are not operating at full capacity because they are required to allow 6 feet between parties for social distancing.

Winterton said he thinks these restrictions are still too limiting.

“When we start limiting people's movement and action as a government, we have gone too far,” he said. “America was based upon religious freedoms, and the right to move about and to have commerce. I think we need to be more free with opening up our commerce and our businesses. The governor, in my opinion, has gone too far in limiting what we can and can't do.”

Masks are mandated statewide indefinitely under the Public Health Orders from Nov. 8.

Winterton said he isn’t against the mandate if it’ll help businesses stay open.

“If you don’t have a problem and we are going to have functions, then we mask up, and we make sure that we do everything we can to just slow the spread,” he said. “I'm saying I'll do whatever we can do. But we need to open our economy.”

You can find more information on Utah’s COVID-19 health orders at coronavirus.utah.gov.

Jessica joins KPCW as a general assignment reporter and Sunday Weekend Edition host. A Florida native, she graduated from the University of Florida with degrees in English — concentrating in film studies — and journalism. Before moving to Utah, she spent time in Atlanta, GA.
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