CORONAVIRUS

Stay-At-Home Order Takes Effect In Summit County

Mar 27, 2020, 5:58 AM

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — A stay-at-home order took effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday as county leaders ratcheted up their response to the spread of COVID-19.

According to the order, all individuals are instructed to stay at their residences until May 1.

“All persons may leave their residences only for ‘essential activities,’ ‘essential governmental functions,’ ‘essential travel,’ or to operate ‘essential businesses,’” the order stated.

Restaurants were included in the order as essential businesses, but were limited to curbside pick-up and drive-thru service.

All non-essential businesses in the county were to cease on-site activities except for “minimum basic operations.”

“The stay-at-home order is just that — if you don’t need to be out and about, we’re really asking you to stay at home,” said Summit County Sheriff Justin Martinez. “What it isn’t is a lockdown. We don’t want people to think that they cannot leave their homes to go to the grocery stores, to go and hike the trails, walk the dogs — that is still what we’re allowing people to do.”

Martinez said the order does intend to discourage travel from other counties and states.

“We have a very small medical system here and if people come up here to recreate, if people come up here from out of town and they get sick, or they get injured, it’s going to overwhelm our small medical centers,” Martinez said.

Martinez said he planned to begin educating residents on what they are supposed to do and why. He said there wouldn’t be checkpoints or deputies looking at homes to make sure proper social distancing is occurring.

“As the sheriff, I am not going to be going around with a ruler and checking people for proper distance,” Martinez said. “Maintain your social life the best you can with a 6-foot barrier.”

On Park City’s Main Street Thursday, art dealer Colby Larsen said it seemed as if the order had already been in place for some time.

“What’s bizarre is it’s like it happened over a week ago,” he said. “It’s been dead.”

Larsen, the owner of five art galleries, was in the process of loading several items into his SUV so he could more easily work from home.

“For me right now, nothing is going to change as far as what it looks like out on the street in the sense that things have just turned off up here,” Larsen said.

Larsen said he believed residents were taking the social distancing measures to heart as a positive for their protection.

“You know, there are a lot of people who needed to know that it’s serious,” Larsen said.

He said he believed the economic toll from the pandemic could extend into the fall.

“It’s an interesting time,” Larsen said. “That’s for sure.”

Martinez urged people to be good examples of social distancing to those around them, including their children.

“If you don’t need to be out and about, we’re asking you to stay home, stay in your residence,” Martinez said. “We expect people to take this seriously. Be responsible.”

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Stay-At-Home Order Takes Effect In Summit County