When the rest of Utah eases into a yellow, or “low risk” level for COVID-19, 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.
But Summit County did make some changes. Thursday night, Summit County Council passed a new health order which clarified what the orange level means. It goes into effect Saturday and will last at least one week.
Deputy Health Director Phil Bondurant said the 16-page order removes the specific operating protocols for the majority of businesses. Those protocols were put in place May first when all businesses were allowed to reopen. However, under the new order passed Thursday, restrictions still remain for restaurants and food services, lodging, indoor recreation, arts & entertainment venues, and special events.
Bondurant said there was a lot of give-and-take with local business owners who had filed appeals with the county. “Most of the appellants were in support of what we have done and the conclusions that have come from this new order that’s being proposed,” Bondurant said. “I suspect over the course of next week we can take data available and determine a week from today what the next step is for the county as we start this slow methodical entry to make sure that we’re not getting ahead of ourselves and that we are doing what we can to make sure that this dial, when we turn it one direction it continues to move in a positive direction and there’s not a back and forth between different phases which would be very difficult for businesses.”
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. Council addressed concerns from one public comment about employees at a local home improvement store who were not wearing masks. Bondurant said managers at all businesses should be training their staff appropriately, and they need the public’s help to hold them accountable. “We can’t get to every retail establishment on a daily basis. We can follow up on complaints as they come in and work to educate, but there’s also a responsibility of community to help with that with that as well,” Bondurant said. “So, if you see it, there’s always a polite and courteous way to have that conversation with an individual. Sometimes it’s just a simple reminder to help them understand what it is that the mask is used for and how it’s to be worn if you’re comfortable having that.”
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 effective Saturday.
Council was asked about ski resorts by a member of the public who noted that Sundance Resort just announced they were reopening in limited capacity. Council chair Doug Clyde said Summit County resorts weren’t there yet. “I can say simply at this point, that while we have had some discussions with them, none of them have been let’s say actionable or have resulted in some specific plan that either of those resorts have,” said Clyde. “We are scheduled to have conversations with them in the near future to understand what it is they would like to do and how to make that fit within our orders. As of right now, we do not have any request right now from DV or PC, meaning Deer Valley or Park City Resort to open their summer operations at this point.”
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. Council member Roger Armstrong said Summit County is in an odd position because of the tourist economy. "We’ve not been able to gauge what that combination of those kinds of businesses combined with potentially higher rates of infected people coming here into those businesses and contributing to spread,” said Armstrong. “We don’t have enough data points to judge whether our risk is going to grow. That’s something we’re going to have to measure over the next few weeks as we proceed through orange, and my guess is the governor’s probably not going to give us an indefinite ability to remain in orange. We going to be pushed into yellow sooner rather than later.”
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.
