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It’s Friday, May 8. We’ll provide the latest coronavirus updates involving Utah throughout the day.
[Read more coronavirus coverage here.]
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5:45 p.m.: State cuts restaurants, bars a break on closure notifications
Bars and restaurants that serve alcohol normally have to notify the state before closing for an extended period of time — or face losing their liquor licenses.
The state gave them a break Friday, when Gov. Gary Herbert issued an official order that suspends the requirement during the coronavirus pandemic
“This temporary suspension,” the governor said in a news release, “is intended to make sudden closures due to restrictions related to COVID-19 less burdensome on these licensed establishments by ensuring that closures mandated by public health do not cause licensing issues.”
Under current state law, restaurants, bars and other businesses with a license to serve liquor may not close or cease operations for more than 240 hours unless the owner has received approval from the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control or notified the agency in writing at least seven days in advance of the closure.
Many businesses that have remained closed during the pandemic or were closed temporarily because of COVID-19 restrictions have worried about violating state law and putting their liquor licenses in jeopardy.
— Kathy Stephenson
3:30 p.m.: West Jordan canceling the Western Stampede rodeo due to COVID-19 concerns
West Jordan City announced Friday that it was canceling its largest event of the year: the Western Stampede rodeo, usually held around the 4th of July.
Mayor Dirk Burton said in a news release that he’d hoped COVID-19 public health guidelines would be further relaxed in the coming months but was forced to cancel now because of contractual agreements and uncertainty about whether social gatherings will be allowed a few months from now.
“This was a difficult decision,” he said in a statement. “The Western Stampede is not only an event that brings people within our city together, but brings in people from all over the state. Because of its popularity, we recognize it will be difficult to comply with social distancing guidelines, put forth by the health department. Our residents’ health and safety are our top priority.”
Burton said the city is already planning the 2021 Western Stampede, with plans “to ensure it will be more spectacular than ever before.”
West Jordan, Utah’s fourth largest city, has been hit hard economically as a result of dipping sales tax revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic. The city laid off a number of employees last month as a result.
“I need to make sure the city can weather through this storm and be able to be here on the other side and continue to provide the services our residents need” once the coronavirus has run its course, Burton said at the time.
One of the considerations in cancelling the stampede now was to ensure the city did not pay for an event that didn’t happen, the mayor said.
— Taylor Stevens
2:35 p.m.: Salt Lake County will furnish restaurants, bars with thermometers to take temperatures of staffers
Utah restaurants and bars have been allowed to resume sit-down dining as part of Utah’s shift from a red “high risk” COVID-19 level to orange or “moderate risk.” But they face some new requirements, among them the stipulation that restaurant owners or managers must take the temperatures of staffers before their shift each day to minimize the spread of the coronavirus.
To help businesses meet that mandate, Salt Lake County announced Thursday that it is offering free thermometers to area businesses with a current food service permit issued by the county’s Department of Health. The government agency said on Twitter that it would begin distributing the thermometers in person Friday at the Salt Lake County Emergency Coordination Center at 3380 S. 900 West in South Salt Lake for as long as supplies last.
Pickup times run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Monday through Friday. Priority for the thermometers will go to restaurants, bars, food trucks or convenience stores that do not already have a thermometer available to use and to those that intend to reopen their dine-in services within 14 days. Otherwise, the county said it will give the thermometers to those who arrive first and with a completed waiver form. An appointment is not needed.
A spokesman with the county health department said Friday that he didn’t know the number of thermometers available specifically for food service establishments but anticipated an adequate supply based on demand.
Money for the thermometers comes from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act passed by Congress earlier this year, according to county documents.
— Taylor Stevens
1:15 p.m.: No new deaths and active hospitalizations decline
The Utah Department of Health reported 195 new coronavirus cases and no new deaths on Friday. That brings the total number of cases to 5,919, while 61 people have died since the pandemic came to the state.
Twelve more people have been hospitalized since the day before, bringing the total to 476 hospitalizations. There are currently 92 people hospitalized for confirmed cases. That is down from 95 on Thursday.
So far, 138,688 people have been tested for the coronavirus. In the last day, 4,145 more tests have been tallied.
Some 2,769 people, or 46.8% of all cases in the state, are considered “recovered,” meaning it’s been three weeks since the person was first diagnosed and the person hasn’t died.
— Taylor Stevens
8:28 a.m. Red Butte Garden scraps its plant sale, but seedings still find a home
Red Butte Garden has donated more than 10 truckloads of plants, shrubs, flowers and vegetables — originally grown for its annual plant sale and fundraiser — to nonprofit and community groups.
Restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the event and staffers had to figure out what to do with the thousands of seedlings being cultivated in its greenhouses, officials said in a news release. Horticulture director Marita Tewes Tyrolt and her staff contacted area gardens and nonprofit organizations about taking the plants.
Wasatch Community Gardens holds a similar fundraiser each spring, but it was able to move ordering online and offer scheduled pickup. The sale launched April 30 and sold out within 14 hours, the organization said on its website. A similar switch was not feasible for Red Butte Garden on the University of Utah campus.
“Reduced operations and staff cuts made it impossible to properly manage the inventory,” the release said, “but dumping the plants in the compost bin didn’t seem right either.”
In all, 10 groups received the donations, including: Esther’s Garden, Green Urban Lunchbox, Housing Connect, IRC/New Roots, Primary Children’s Hospital, St. Mark’s Cathedral, SLC Library/The Plot community garden, University of Utah Campus Garden, University Neighborhood Partners and Volunteer of America’s Center for Women and Children.
The garden’s mission is to connect people with plants and the beauty of living landscapes, officials said in the statement.
“During these challenging times, more people are finding comfort from the restorative and healing power of plants,” it said, “ so the horticulture staff were more than happy to donate rather than compost their greenhouse treasure.”
— Kathy Stephenson
7:35 a.m.: Loveland Living Planet Aquarium will reopen Saturday
The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium will reopen Saturday, but the number of people allowed inside at any one time will be “significantly reduced” and several attractions will remain closed.
“The safety of our guests, employees and animals is our highest priority,” according to the aquarium, 12033 Lone Peak Parkway in Draper.
All guests, including members, must purchase tickets online at thelivingplanet.com. Tickets will be for specific times, and guests must arrive no more than 10 minutes early.
One-way paths will be designated. The aquarium’s play and party center, Tuki’s Island, touch pools and theater will remain closed, and there will be no animal feedings, encounters or presentations. The café will be open with a limited menu.
The facility will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Beginning May 13, it will be open from 9 to 10 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays for “high-risk individuals.”
The aquarium is “strongly recommending” face masks, but will not require them.
— Scott D. Pierce