Salt Lake County Mayor considers extending stay home order to Memorial Day or longer
Apr 7, 2020, 8:27 AM | Updated: 8:49 am
Jenny Wilson. (Credit: Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
(Credit: Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson says she is considering extending the stay at home order through Memorial Day or even longer.
She told KSL Newsradio the county expects to make an announcement this Thursday or Friday.
“Every day is a new journey with this virus,” Mayor Wilson tells Utah’s Morning News.
The current order expires Monday, April 13th. Wilson said she could extend it by two weeks at a time, or just do a longer order and rescind if necessary.
She says modeling showing the virus peaking in late April or the first week of May, and she wants to prevent a second spike.
“We’ve tried to find that right balance. We will be measuring daily how the virus is moving, and we will know when to ease restrictions so we don’t end up back in the place where we are now,” she said.
When asked about the economic impact of a stay home order and keeping non-essential businesses closed, Wilson said “unfortunately we are looking at a global economic crisis.”
Wilson said it was troubling to see the crowded hospitals on the east coast, though Utah hospitals have been much emptier.
“If anything, we can be feeling good in our community that we’ve done the right thing here,” she said.
The state epidemiologist hinted at a longer time period as well in the news conference Monday afternoon.
So far cases in Utah are not growing very fast. One national projection says fewer will die here than first thought.
“However, these are all models and so the daily case counts and the more data we put into these models, the more accurate they will be and they are likely to change over the coming weeks as well,” said Dr Angela Dunn.
How To Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 Coronavirus
COVID-19 coronavirus is transmitted from person to person. It is a virus that is similar to the common cold and the flu. So, to prevent it from spreading:
- Wash hands frequently and thoroughly, with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds.
- Don’t touch your face.
- Keep children and those with compromised immune systems away from someone who is coughing or sneezing (in this instance, at least six feet)
- If there is an outbreak near you, practice social distancing (stay at home, instead of going to the movies, sports events, or other activities.)
- Get a flu shot.
Local resources
Utah’s Coronavirus Information
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Utah Coronavirus Information Line – 1-800-456-7707
National Resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Commonly asked questions, World Health Organization
