Elective Surgeries To Begin Resuming In Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Elective surgeries are back on the schedule in the Beehive State beginning Wednesday.

Gov. Gary Herbert made the announcement Tuesday.

Health officials said the decision to postpone elective surgeries was initially made to allow for more hospital beds for potential COVID-19 patients. The order was also made to reserve personal protective equipment for health care providers should there be a sudden surge of coronavirus cases. The number of hospitalizations in the state, though, has remained much lower than anticipated.

State epidemiologist Angela Dunn has reported that health care facilities across the state have sufficient supplies and personal protective equipment to meet short-term needs.

Herbert put the health order into place March 23, which suspended any medical or dental procedures that were not life-saving measures.

The reinstatement of elective surgeries will be done in a measured and cautious way, and it will follow guidelines established by the Utah Hospital Association, area hospitals, and health care providers.

In a statement, Herbert thanked the medical providers for their understanding and willingness to postpone procedures.

“While we are not out of the woods yet, we also understand that many of the procedures that have been postponed are medically necessary,” according to the statement. “At this time, we believe we can cautiously resume certain procedures.”

The governor said loosening the restrictions doesn’t mean the pandemic is over or that Utahns should stop social distancing.