SALT LAKE CITY — Governor Gary Herbert issued a new executive order on COVID-19, tweaking some health restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the virus.
The biggest change in the order? Pushing face masks.
The executive order issued Wednesday afternoon includes it in health guidelines for businesses where social distancing is not possible (and it remains mandatory for health care settings). It "strongly encourages" the use of face masks for the public.
It also makes modifications to travel (discouraging it to high-risk areas), and businesses can all be operating if they're in a low risk area and can now conduct temperature checks "when feasible." There are other modifications to social gatherings, pools and water parks (emphasizing social distancing).
"We are making progress and we can see that these recommendations are working," Gov. Herbert said in a statement. "I would like to express my gratitude to all who are taking these recommendations seriously, and stress that following these guidelines is crucial to ensuring the safety and health of us all."
For schools, the executive order allows some activities to resume including youth sports (again with social distancing and health guidelines being followed). Hand sanitizer will be a necessity for faculty and students in each classroom, along with hand washing routines. Faculty and staff will need to wear face masks when social distancing can't happen. For students, guidelines on face coverings will come later after local school boards and charter boards meet with health officials.
Colleges and universities were given the go-ahead to re-open for in-person classes with proper hygiene and sanitization. Each school is also asked to develop plans for monitoring for another outbreak and how they would re-close, if necessary.
Read the executive order here:
See the updated health guidelines here:
