When the rest of Utah eases into a yellow, or “low risk” level for COVID-19 on Saturday, Summit and Wasatch Counties remain at an orange, or “moderate risk” level. Health officials say that’s because of the high rate of the disease per capita in those counties.
Last night, Summit County Council passed a new health order which clarified what the orange level means. The purpose of the 16-page order is to ease some of the protocols businesses have to follow to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Summit County Deputy Health Director Phil Bondurant said the new order removes the business specific protocols for the majority of the business sectors in Summit County that were put in place on May first when all businesses were allowed to reopen. There are still restrictions for restaurants and food services, lodging, indoor recreation and arts, entertainment venues and special events. Those restrictions are largely the same as they have been since May first.
For restaurants, no more than six people can be at a table, unless they are members of the same family. And tables must be spaced six feet apart. For indoor gyms, there can be no more than one person per 100 square feet and no more than 20 people on each floor, including staff. For all businesses, employees who interact with the public must wear a mask, and the mask must cover the nose and mouth.
Public and private gatherings in Summit County are still limited to 20 people or less, while in the rest of the state, those gatherings can be up to 50 people.
Bondurant said one specific concern for the county is that as businesses reopen, employees from other hot spots like Salt Lake City and Utah County could be a new source of exposure of COVID-19 in Summit County.
The new order is in effect for seven days, at which point the council will look at a number of data points, including the infection rate of COVID-19, and the number of people in the hospital because of the disease, and possibly revise the order.
Clickherefor more on Utah's Phased Health Guidelines.
