Salt Lake City – Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said she has not yet decided if the Covid-19 “Endgame” bill will be signed by the governor and the statewide mask order will be removed on April 10.
“TBD,” he said in response to a Fox 13 question at a news conference Wednesday. “We’ll wait and see.”
While the Covid-19 vaccine was open to all young people over the age of 16, Mayor Wilson urges people to wear masks in public, until health experts say they are safe to remove them and when the state reaches immunization by vaccination. .
“We need community help when there is light at the end of the tunnel,” Meyer said.
Salt Lake County Council Chairman Steve DeBray told Fox 13 that he wanted to convene a special council meeting on April 9 – a day before the mask mandate would be released under the “Endgame” bill. To determine whether a new mask command is required based on the latest information.
“If the benchmark is met, it’s a big point for the council and now there will be no masks,” he said. “However, if three or one of the three is not there, it is up to the Salt Lake County County Council to decide.”
Governor Spencer Cox Signed the bill, even if he criticized it. He Utah negotiates April 10 with members of state legislature to end statewide mask order, Some of whom wanted to pick it up immediately. Rip. Bill, sponsored by Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, Removes other health restrictions as vaccination rates increase and cases decrease. But it allows local legislators to get their mask order. Private businesses are also allowed to implement their mask requirements for customers and employees.
Council Chair DeBry said it remains to be seen whether Utah’s most populous county will remain under the mask order. Salt Lake County was one of the first adopters last year, with then-Governor Gary Herbert leading the way in implementing a statewide order in November.
“We don’t want to see people die. And we need to protect vulnerable people,” DeBray told Fox 13.
He also worried about variants, virus resurfacing and how long the COVID-19 vaccine would last before people needed a booster shot. Debris is now pushing the county to begin preparations for the changes – in order to prevent the return of stricter health restrictions.
“We’re seeing light at the end of the tunnel, but my concern is long-term. It’ll still be out there somewhere,” he said of the virus. “What should we do to stay on top of it so we don’t go back to this vortex of last year?”
The Salt Lake County Health Department urged Utahns not to wait to get their shots. Gary Edwards, director of the health department, said the mass vaccination clinics the county has set up handle about 30,000 people a week.
“We are ready to do even more than that,” he said.
Edwards urged people to sign up for the appointment. As of Wednesday, the Salt Lake County Health Department had about 17,000 open slots by the end of April. He also urged people not to “buy a vaccine”, where they book an appointment and then search for something more convenient or try to get a specific brand of vaccine. In some cases, up to 600 appointments have been double-booked, so others will be locked out.
Edwards warned that “there are 600 people who could have been vaccinated, but they were not able to. This is the problem that makes it,” Edwards warned.
