SALT LAKE CITY — Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, and beginning Tuesday, Utah is loosening its restrictions on get-togethers.
Governor Gary Herbert extended much of the state of emergency, such as a statewide mask mandate, but he dropped the provision that called for gatherings of only the people who live in the same home.
This comes as the state marks its worst week of COVID-19 yet.
READ: UDOH reports 556 hospitalizations and six new deaths in Sunday's COVID-19 case count
The 77 COVID-19 deaths this week are a new high, 18 more than the previous highest week.
Utah has now seen over 177-thousand cases of COVID-19 and 3,197 new cases were reported Sunday.
Over the past seven days, Utah is averaging 3,310 new cases a day, and 23.5 percent of all laboratory tests have come back positive.
There are 556 people currently hospitalized in the state due to the coronavirus.
READ: Herbert urges Utahns practice caution ahead of Thanksgiving
While Utahns are allowed to meet with people outside their households, beginning Tuesday, you’re encouraged to not travel if possible, and to keep holiday celebrations small and practice the guidelines to keep the virus from spreading, such as wearing masks, social distancing and frequent handwashing.