Governor Gary Herbert renewed Utah’s COVID-19 State of Emergency on Saturday.
Utah’s previous emergency declaration was set to expire on Saturday and the new order extends the State of Emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic through October 20th.
The Utah Legislature can extend the order past October 20th or Herbert can end the order early if it is determined emergency conditions no longer exist.
Utah has seen an alarming spike in COVID-19 cases over the past week. The state set records in positive cases per day on Thursday with 911 new cases, Friday with 1,117 new cases, and an additional 1,077 cases were reported on Saturday by the Utah Department of Health.
Governor Herbert said earlier this week that all options to stop the spread of the virus are being considered, including a statewide mask order.
The Governor is meeting with Utah’s COVID-19 Unified Command this weekend to determine the next steps in the state’s response to the pandemic.
Additionally, Governor Herbert issued brief renewals of other rule suspensions, including suspending some requirements for using telehealth services and suspending requirements that parole hearings be open to in-person participation.
A link to the full State of Emergency executive order can be found here.
