Utah Governor Gary Herbert revealed his latest plan for economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic. KPCW’s Sean Higgins has more on Herbert’s “Utah Leads Together" plan.
Herbert’s plan details ways to get people back to work over the next 100, 250, and 500 days. Herbert acknowledged that the economic downturn has hurt many Utah families but said he believes the damage is not as bad as it could have been.
“That doesn’t make it any easier for those of the thousands of people who have had disruption in their lives and are out of work, on unemployment, and their lives have been disrupted in a significant way," Herbert shared. "We understand that and have empathy for those who are waiting to go back to work.”
Phase one of the new plan is focused on getting the thousands of Utah workers who were furloughed due to the pandemic back to work through a combination of responsible business opening, campaigns to boost consumer confidence, and state infrastructure projects.
While Governor Herbert was focused on the economy, Utah State Epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn gave an update on COVID-19 cases in the state. She said there have been 407 new cases since Tuesday and four additional deaths bringing the state’s death toll to 149.
“So we’ve been seeing an increase in cases for the past three weeks, with over 200 daily new cases," she explained. "The risk of being exposed to COVID-19 is higher than ever in Utah so I’m urging you to limit your number of close contacts by practicing social distancing, wearing a face covering when you’re in public places, practicing good hand hygiene, and staying home when you’re ill no matter how mild the symptoms.”
Businesses should stay safe too, said President and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber, Derek Miller. He is the chair of Utah's economic task force and adds that he is asking businesses to pledge to engage in the best practices possible for health and safety.
“Those businesses that take the pledge will receive signage for their businesses and consumers who see the stay safe to stay open signs can have confidence that those businesses are following state health guidelines,” he said.
The Utah Legislature will meet in a special session on Thursday, June 18, to address the state’s budget in fiscal year 2020 -- which ends on June 30 -- and how to best implement the Governor’s economic recovery plan.
